Straw braids produced in Laizhou, Yantai, Shandong province, are the most famous of their kind in China with a history of 1,500 years.

Inspired by people's braids, local farmers made straw braids with three straws, which were braided into straw hats. So they were named "straw hat braids".

In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Laizhou straw braiding technique spread across the country. After the Opium War, straw braiding technique was favored by foreign investors, helping straw braids one of China’s first products to enter the Western market.

Intangible Cultural Heritage: Haiyang Yangge (Folk Dance)

The origin of the Haiyang Yangge (folk dance) comes from the Han Dynasty (BC 206-220) and reached its peak in the mid Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) when it became an essential part of festival celebrations.

The Haiyang Yangge group is composed of a leader, a music band and dancers. Music for the Yangge dance involves gongs, drums and folk songs.

Haiyang Yangge has always been an important part of local daily life, although the form and content are constantly changing. Watching or acting Yangge has always been a joyful form of entertainment for the public. Every first month of the Chinese lunar calendar, Yangge will be performed to mark a prosperous new year.

Over the years, Haiyang Yangge has been well preserved and passed on thanks to the joint efforts of experts, scholars and craftsmen. In 1983, the Dancing Department of Beijing Dancing Academy included Haiyang Yangge among their required courses. In 1997, the Ministry of Culture designated Haiyang city as the “Home of Chinese Folk Art”.

Straw braids. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]