The Dai brocade is a kind of folk handicraft popular among the Dai ethnic people. Either woven on cotton cloth or silk, the Dai brocade is an age-old hand-weaving technique, with the design of patterns being realized by superb weaving skills. The rigorously-arranged patterns are mostly on one side and started at the weft.
To make the Dai brocade, the Dai women tie the patterns onto what they call a "pattern board" with fine strings before separating the warp into upper and lower layers by lifting the threads with their hands and kicking with their feet. Then they start picking. By repeating these steps, they create beautiful Dai brocade. Way back in the Tang and Song Dynasties, the Dai ethnic group in Xishuangbanna mastered the techniques of spinning silk cotton into threads and weaving cloth. During the Hongwu and Wanli Periods of the Ming Dynasty, they were able to hand weave silk curtains and velvet brocade that were chosen as tributes to the imperial court.
The Dai brocade is characterized by elaborate weaving styles, creative patterns, bright colors, and sturdiness and durability. The patterns feature a wide range of subjects, including all sorts of exotic animals, flowers and geometric figures etc., with each pattern and color having a particular symbolic meaning. For example, the colors of red and green are used for commemorating ancestors; peacocks are symbols of auspiciousness, and elephants represent bumper harvests etc. Today, while retaining the age-old tradition, the Dai brocade is enjoying further development and improvement. Apart from being used for making barrel skirt, satchels, bedclothes, quilt covers, curtains and handkerchiefs, the Dai brocade is also used in new products like screens and sofa mats etc.
