Town making ancient Tibetan accessory
( 2005-10-26 )

In Tibet, there's a delicate and colorful apron favored by local women known as the "Pulu". A small town in Tibet's south mountainous Gonggar County, Jiedexiu, is often called "land of the Pulu".

People in Jiedexiu had mastered Pulu-making as early as theTang Dynasty, some 13-hundred years ago.

At first, the people of Jiedexiu only knit Pulu for landlords and noble families. But they would keep excess aprons for themselves. Now, Pulu are sold around the world, and have found fame as a cultural treasure of Tibet.

Awang Pingcuo, head of the Jiedexiu Apron Factory, explains how making Pulu changed his life. He said: "My mother and grandmother taught me how to knit Pulu when I was just a little kid. My family made a living on only farming and we could barely survive. Now I'm the head of the factory. I make 15,000 yuan a year on top of my salary. This is like a dream coming true."

Awang Pingcuo says an order has just come in from the US. He's thinking of building a larger factory soon, to meet the growing demand for pulu.

The local government has also been doing its part to making things easier for pulu-makers. A special street has been set up for residents to sell Pulu to out-of-town businesspeople.

Ciji, Secretary of CPC Jiedexiu Township Committee, said: "More than 80-percent of the residents here work in the local handicraft industry. We have many sales channels that take our products to markets in Nepal, India and Bhutan. Every Jiedexiu family has their own spinning and weaving machine. Our unique handicraft skills are bringing us a better future."

And going into the 21st century, the future of pulu certainly does look bright.

Editor: Salina