Since ancient times, wheat has been the main grain of the Chinese people. Can you imagine that the "useless" wheat straw has become a world-renowned royal artwork when endowed with an interesting soul by diligent hands?
The miracle happens to the wheat straw painting from Dadukou, which was included in the second batch of Chongqing's municipal intangible cultural heritages in September 2009.
The flowers made of wheat straw
It is hard to verify the origin of wheat straw painting. According to legend, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu was hunted by Wang Mang before he ascended the throne. He had no choice but to hide in wheat straw, which immediately turned into a dense forest to protect him. As a result, Wang Mang's troops didn't find him.
Since then, the local people have considered wheat straw as a symbol of good fortune, so they use it to paint. However, due to historical changes and social unrest, the wheat straw painting disappeared for a long time.
The bird made of wheat straw
It was not until the Sui and Tang Dynasties that the wheat straw painting officially stepped onto the historical stage. It was enjoyed by royalty over 1,000 years ago. Due to the evolution of agricultural tools, wheat could be processed into flour, which could be made into "steamed cake" and other solid food. Compared to directly eating wheat cakes, it was a great step forward. As the planting area of wheat increased sharply, wheat straw painting had sufficient material sources.
The beauty made of wheat straw
In the Qing Dynasty, wheat straw painting gradually got popular as a common handicraft. With the migration of population, wheat straw painting began to flow from the Central Plains to Hubei and Chongqing and took root in Dadukou.
At that time, the folk artists of Dadukou devoted themselves to research and were bold in innovation, which made this ancient folk art shine more brilliantly in the area. Wheat straw painting, also known as wheat straw patchwork, is a folk art of cutting and pasting with a long history.
The kid made of wheat straw