A Study On Folk Felting Process Of Uyghur People

Chinese and foreign scholars agree that, felt work is an important invention of Ancient Central Asian Nomads. The artistry of hand crafted felt work is a direct product of their pastoral lifestyle. The tradition, uniqueness, and ethnicity of Uyghur felt work has resulted from the long history of its developmental process. Uyghur felt work has resulted in its precious intangible cultural heritage, which includes its historical, cultural, scientific, aesthetic and economic value."Felt", is a textile made thru a process of rolling and pressing to create a flat/thin material that is useful for insulating from the cold. In ancient times primitive people spread the furs they collected while hunting on the ground and made them into clothing to protect them from the cold. The earliest felt was made when hair that was shed, cut, or pulled from the fur, was either intentionally or unintentionally rolled and rubbed together under pressure and bound together into a flat material in order to create mats. Throughout the course of human evolution and though countless years of practice, the production of felt pieces has evolved in its form and function such that it can be made into a variety of shapes, square, rectangular, etc, for a wide range of functions. The development and usage of felt to make tents, blankets, mats, mattresses, clothes, hats, boots, shoes, and other useful items, and the use of natural colored or dyed hair to craft decorative felt products is a milestone in human evolution.This paper will start with the Uyghur history of felt, mainly in Xinjiang's Turpan and Hoten counties. It will examine felt and seek to describe and classify it according to it various features. It will identify the various types of felt and felt products, the raw materials from which it can be composed, the sources of its various dyes, the main types of tools and equipment necessary for the production of felt will be described. Careful analysis of the felting process, tapestry patterns, and of the current system and state of carpet manufacturing among the Uyghur will be made. The many problems regarding the development of the future development of protection measures will be detailed, and useful suggestions will be made. This thesis is divided into five sections.Section one covers the reasons for choosing this field of study and investigation of the overall situation of fields.Section two covers felt and felt products, including the Uyghur history of felt making, felt, wool felt, and other products. Section three deals with felting materials and related equipment, including the raw materials used by the Uyghur for felt-making, including fuels and equipment used in their felting industry.Section four describes the felting processes and patterns, including the production process of felt, and analysis of decorative felt patterns. Section five relates to the protection ideas of Uyghur felt industry, including specific problems which exist in the Uyghur felt industry, and its preservation.