{"id":6702,"date":"2020-09-20T16:40:04","date_gmt":"2020-09-20T15:40:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.jomec.co.uk\/life360\/?p=6702"},"modified":"2020-09-20T17:44:01","modified_gmt":"2020-09-20T16:44:01","slug":"the-glory-and-decay-the-rapid-change-of-the-zhuang-brocade-in-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/the-glory-and-decay-the-rapid-change-of-the-zhuang-brocade-in-decades\/","title":{"rendered":"The glory and decay: the rapid change of the Zhuang Brocade in decades"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Reform and Opening Up policy adopted by China in 1978 has brought unprecedented productivity and creativity to Chinese society. However, to the surprise of everyone at the time, this progressive policy led to the decline of Zhuang Brocade, the most crucial handicraft in Guangxi.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 2, 1994, as usual, Meng Rujun took the brocade weaving after a day of work from the loom, got up, and brushed off the cotton wool on her body, folded the stool, and placed it in the corner. After tidying everything, she turned off the lights, walked out the door, turned and closed the heavy wood door of the Xincheng Zhuang Brocade Factory-this process is what she must do every day after getting off work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, that day was different because this was the last time she locked the door of the factory\u2014from tomorrow, the sound of looms would never be heard from the factory. The laughter of the craftswoman chatting in their leisure time would disappear because it had been completely closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Xincheng Zhuang brocade Factory is a three-story reinforced concrete factory located at the end of the Heping Bridge of Shuangsheng River in Xincheng. Between the 1970s and 1990s, it was one of the most reputable and prestigious companies in the county. Before 1975, it was only a rural production cooperative. Later, due to the massive increase in sales of the Zhuang brocade, the production cooperative was officially changed to Xincheng Zhuang Brocade Factory. After the factory was established, the number of employees increased rapidly, and sales continued to rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1972, Meng Rujun, who had just graduated from junior high school, lied about his adulthood and got a job of a craftswoman at the Xincheng Zhuang Brocade Factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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