A handful of silk umbrellas of different sizes and various patterns are eye-catching.
On April 24, the peony silk umbrella making workshop in Houji Village was busy, and the open silk umbrellas were neatly placed on the ground, waiting to be dried and folded. All kinds of peony flowers bloom delicately on the umbrella surface, showing the graceful beauty of peonies.
This year's 32-year-old Wu Hongxing is the leader of Houji Village to get rich, and he is also the "keeper artist" of the peony silk umbrella. "These are peony-themed silk umbrellas, which are sold very well during the Heze Peony Cultural Tourism Festival, and tourists are particularly fond of them. Wu Hongsheng said that the production process of silk umbrella is very complex and cumbersome, and a small silk umbrella seems simple, but it is actually very exquisite.
"The first step is to select materials, you need to choose more than 3 years old adult bamboo, at this time the whole body of bamboo, hard texture, tough, more suitable for processing and production. Wu Hongsheng told reporters that after the bamboo is peeled, it will go through several processes such as making umbrella bones, wearing umbrella heads, net umbrella edges, and threading.
In the past two years, in order to better develop the market, Wuhong Province has integrated peony elements into the creation and design on the one hand, and on the other hand, trained local women who are unable to go out to work or are temporarily unemployed in umbrella-making skills, helping more than 30 rural surplus laborers to achieve doorstep employment. "Here, I can not only learn the craft, but also make money to subsidize the family, I am very satisfied!" said Xu Jinmei, a villager in Houji Village, Huangyan Township.
"We teach for free, provide materials for free, and as long as the villagers learn the technology, they can earn as little as a few tens of yuan a day, or as much as hundreds of yuan. Wu Hong Province told reporters that villagers can bring raw materials back to their homes, and the products they make are recycled and sold, and they can make money without going out.
When it comes to the future, Wu Hong Province has his own ideas for the long-term development of silk umbrellas. "In the next step, we will strengthen the training of embroidery lace skills, continue to explore the peony cultural and creative market, innovate product design, continue to inject vitality into the silk umbrella skills, and lead more villagers to increase their income and become rich. Wu Hongxing said.
Heze Daily reporter Li Ruosheng