Textile here refers to a folk handicraft of making fabrics by means of hand-spinning flax, silk, cotton and other fibers into yarn with a spinning wheel and then weaving it into cloth with a traditional weaving machine.

An agricultural country from the ancient times, China has the tradition of men working in the fields while women sit at the loom as a division of labor between men and women in a family in ancient China. Folk spinning and weaving have undergone three important historical phases in their long history of development. Namely, flax fabric period, silk fabric period and cotton fabric period sequentially. China’s textile industry had a long history and an important impact on world culture.

Nowadays, traditional spinning and weaving techniques and ancient looms are still playing their role in vast areas in the country. For example, the rural women in the southwest part of Shandong Province are still hand-making a cotton fabric that enjoys a good reputation as “Luxian brocade”, while the rural women in Mount Yimeng area’s handmade printed cotton fabrics are also well loved in the world market. Traditional folk textiles are the evidence of Chinese women’s diligence and intelligence.

In Yunnan Province, one folk handicraft, Batik, is getting more and more popular around the world. When you study Chinese in Kunming  at Keats School, your teacher will take you to the famous Bird and Flower Market, where you will find thousands of special Yunnan handicraft.