Ancient Chinese suoyi raincoat finds new use in Shandong

If you delve into classical Chinese poetry, you can find an abundance of verses dedicated to the humble suoyi, a raincoat made of pure palm fiber. But although it evokes the past, it's very much around in present-day Shandong province in East China and it has a future.

Back in ancient China, this garment was a common and essential item for rural households as it protected people from the wind and kept them dry in the rain. Despite its importance, however, the suoyi gradually fell out of favor and become a thing of bygone days, leaving a sense of nostalgia for many.

Tang Hongyan, who comes from Linshu county – in Linyi city in Shandong province – started learning the craft of suoyi weaving from her grandmother when she was very young.

Tang Hongyan proudly shows off some of her work. [Photo by Chen Xiaoting for chinadaily.com.cn]

She says that crafting a durable suoyi requires many steps, including preparing palm threads, shaping the collar and attaching palm leaves to the neckline.

Knots are intertwined in the complex weaving process, with particular attention given to creating diamond-shaped eyelets between every four knots. This is a crucial step in enabling the size of a suoyi to be adjusted easily. A skilled artisan can make one in three days, while those who work slower may need at least seven days.

Although Tang has kept the tradition alive, she's gone beyond the perception that the suoyi is just a practical item and given it a new sense of vitality and meaning. In her weaving, she creatively adds new elements to enhance its aesthetic value, elevating it from a practical thing to a masterpiece that can be admired and appreciated in the modern age. (Edited by Zhou Yunlai)