In August 2024, an episode about Guangxi in the program “China in Intangible Cultural Heritage” aired during prime time on CCTV-1, offering a vibrant showcase of Guangxi’s rich intangible heritage and fully presenting the cultural charm, natural beauty, and developmental achievements of Nanning. Next, let us take you into the world of Zhuang brocade, one of China's four famous brocades.

Zhuang brocade -- literally “Zhuang ethnic brocade” -- is one of the “Four Great Brocades of China”. In the Zhuang language, it is known as the "text of heavenly patterns". Said to have originated during the Song Dynasty, it is considered a “living fossil” of Zhuang cultural heritage and is listed as a national-level intangible cultural heritage. Made with cotton or silk threads, Zhuang brocade is famed for the saying: “An inch of brocade is worth an inch of gold.” Its designs are vivid, its structure precise, and its colors bright and dazzling.

Zhuang brocade is also known as “velvet quilt” for its thickness and historical significance. Archaeologists have unearthed fragments of orange brocade with geometric patterns from the Han Dynasty tombs in Luobowan, Guangxi, confirming that brocade weaving existed in Guangxi as early as the Han Dynasty. The earliest documented records, however, date back to the Song Dynasty. During the Northern Song period, Lyu Dafang established a brocade workshop in Sichuan, and one of the four types of brocade included in tribute was Guangxi brocade -- what we now know as Zhuang brocade. In “Notes on the South”, Zhou Qufei wrote: “This velvety cloth has square patterns on a white base, with broad weave and large threads. It is as beautiful and weighty as the linen gauze of the capital, and truly a fine garment of the South.” This description refers precisely to early forms of Zhuang brocade.

Zhuang women are renowned for their dexterity and artistic flair. Over centuries, they have developed brocade that is both durable and intricately woven, with unique patterns and exquisite floral designs that distinguish Zhuang brocade as a peerless cultural treasure.

Tan Xiangguang is one of those gifted and dexterous women who carry forward a cultural legacy with skill and grace. As a nationally recognized inheritor of Guangxi’s traditional Zhuang brocade weaving craft, she studied under Liang Shuying, a master of Chinese arts and crafts. Thirteen years of learning, with countless warp and weft threads of cotton and silk, shaped her path of dedication. Over this time, Tan Xiangguang mastered all Zhuang brocade techniques, including spinning, pattern designing, and brocade weaving. After completing her training, she worked at the Binyang County Ethnic Brocade Factory, where she continually refined and innovated the craft.

In 2002, upon retiring from the factory, Tan Xiangguang founded a small private weaving studio in her home, aptly named “Xiangguang Brocade Workshop”. Her original goal was simple -- to use her weaving skills to create employment for others. But as the studio grew, a more ambitious mission emerged -- to expand the everyday applications of Zhuang brocade and test its sale in the modern market. With the successful development of products such as brocade wall hangings, bed runners, seat cushions, scarves, shawls, backpacks, handbags, and wallets, Zhuang brocade broke free from the confines of formal gift-giving and began entering everyday homes and lives. Hand-weaving is a solitary art. It forges not just skill, but also perseverance and discipline. Tan Xiangguang has always believed that true cultural preservation requires more than a single torchbearer. She never wanted her inheritor to end with one. The more people who master Zhuang brocade techniques, the greater the chance this heritage will flourish across generations. Passing down the craft became a cornerstone of her mission. From informally taking on apprentices to formally founding the Brocade Weaving Skills Training Base in 2014, Tan Xiangguang has steadily ensured that her skills are carried forward in the hands of a new generation of artisans.

But Tan Xiangguang’s ambitions didn’t stop at preservation. She has long explored the question: How can Zhuang brocade thrive beyond being a collectible artifact? This is her answer -- she launched Najiayi Brocade Culture Communication Co., Ltd. in Nanning to focus specifically on the design and development of fashionable Zhuang brocade products. By integrating traditional elements -- like bamboo looms, ethnic clothing, and brocade crafts -- with modern aesthetics, Tan Xiangguang pioneered a new path that blends heritage with trend. This vibrant reinvention of brocade has brought fresh vitality to Guangxi’s traditional ethnic weaving arts.

Following the 2024 Spring Festival, Tan Xiangguang formed an e-commerce team and began using short videos to promote Zhuang brocade culture online. Looking ahead, she plans to design more fashion-forward Zhuang brocade products and use e-commerce to reach broader markets. Her dream is to see the dazzling colors and rich textures of Zhuang brocade woven into the fabric of modern homes everywhere.