Liangping bamboo curtain originated in the Song Dynasty, continued developing in Yuan and Ming Dynasties, and had, by the Qing Dynasty, grown into a maturity marked by its sophisticated craftsmanship and exquisite products. Fang Bingnan, a folk painter living in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, in particular, brought more fame to Liangping bamboo curtain, after he introduced paintings on bamboo curtains, and thus led Liangping bamboo curtains into the palace of the refined arts and crafts, which enticed a number of famous painters and calligraphers to follow his suit.
Liangping bamboo curtain is made of superior Omei mountain bamboo. The process of making such curtains involve 30 steps, which include but are not limited to removing the outer layer and the joints, hacking open the bamboo trunks, slicing them and trimming the slices further into even-sized bamboo strips, which need to be carefully cleaned later. When the thin, even-sized, soft-looking, and pliable-feeling bamboo strips are ready, they make excellent wefts combined with superior silk as warps for the loom. When the loom has done its work, spread oil over its product—the bamboo curtain, hang it on the wall for a better shape, trim the fringes, and finally frame the curtain, fit a wooden world-axis hinge in it, and paint a beautiful picture.
Liangping bamboo curtain can come in different forms: screens, couplets, award certificates, letter inserts, curtains, and lampshades. Recent years also see it used in daily consumables, such as bamboo bags and bamboo slippers.
In June 2008, the State Council of the P.R.C. approved including Liangping bamboo curtain in the extension part of the list of the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage.
National-level representative inheritor: Mou Bingheng
Municipal-level representative inheritors: Fang Shunkang, Liang Naiming, Lu Xiaogang & Ding Pengcheng