| ĦĦĦĦThe Li people
mainly live in the south and central area of Hainan Island
in Dongfang, Baisha, Lingshui and Changjiang Autonomous
counties and in LeDong, Qiongzhong and Baoting Autonomous
counties where both Li and Miao people live today. The
current population of the Li is about one million. |
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ĦĦĦĦHainan
Island is an island off the Southern coast of mainland
China. There are over one hundred original neolithic cultural
sites on the island. |
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| ĦĦĦĦThe
Li people are the original inhabitants of Hainan Island,
originating from the ancient Yue people. The name "Li"
has been in common use since the Song Dynasty (960 AD). |
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ĦĦĦĦHandweaving
skills and artistry have a long history with the Li minority
people in China. During the Tang and Song dynasties, their
weaving skills were even more advanced than that of the
Han people in the central area of China between the Yellow
and Yangtze Rivers. Ethnic Li blankets and brocade were
widely known for quality and beauty. |
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| ĦĦĦĦAs
the Song dynasty was drawing to a close (1271 AD), a woman
known as Huang Dao Po from central China travelled to
Hainan island in southern China. There she spent the next
forty years studying and perfecting the intricate skills
of handweaving. |
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ĦĦĦĦUpon
her return to her native Songjiang, Huang Dao Po spread
the skills to others in the area. She brought an entirely
new set of techniques and tools to the weaving industry
in her area and initiated what was to be a continual evolution
in weaving. |
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ĦĦĦĦThis knowledge
and advancement of weaving skills put Songjiang at the
forefront of the weaving industry in China. Thus Songjiang
has gone down in history as the mother of China's weaving
industry, but these skills originally developed from the
ethnic Li people of southern China.
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