Top Stripped Cap of Maonan Ethnic Group

Overview of Maonan Traditional Handicrafts（毛南族传统手工艺概览）

The Maonan nationality（毛南族）boast a rich variety of exquisite traditional handicrafts, including weaving and dyeing, silver ornament crafting, wood carving, stone carving and bamboo ware making. Among all handmade works, the most renowned masterpiece is a delicate colored bamboo hat locally named Top Stripped Cap（顶卡花 / 花竹帽）, woven from ultra-thin bamboo strips.

Material Selection for the Top Stripped Cap（花竹帽选材）

This double-layer bamboo hat has a standard diameter of 60 centimeters. Artisans adopt two distinctive local bamboo varieties as core materials: golden bamboo and black bamboo. The black bamboo features jet-black skin with a natural glossy finish, while golden bamboo shines with a bright golden hue. The contrasting colors create a unique visual effect for the finished hat.

Bamboo is harvested in autumn and split into extremely thin strips as delicate as tissue paper. All strips need to be soaked in water for an entire night, then taken out and air-dried thoroughly for later weaving.

Weaving Procedures of the Outer Layer（外层编织工艺）

Weavers place a rotatable umbrella-shaped hat frame in front of their knees. The frame shares the same diameter as the finished hat and can turn freely to facilitate work. Craftsmen start with weaving the outer layer first.

The outer layer is based on 15 main bamboo strips. Each strip is further split into 24 finer strands, adding up to 720 hair-thin sub-strips in total. Weavers interlace 60 to 80 horizontal bamboo strips from top to bottom. The tight weaving leaves no gaps, making the outer layer dense and waterproof.

Weaving Procedures of the Inner Layer（内层编织工艺）

After finishing the outer layer, artisans move on to the inner layer. It is structured with 12 main bamboo strips, and each strip is divided into 15 fine strands, totaling 360 sub-strips. Similarly, 60 to 80 horizontal strips are interwoven from top to bottom to form a solid inner layer.

Once both layers are completed, a piece of tissue paper is laid on the inner layer, followed by colored fabric and dark blue cloth in sequence. The outer layer is then fastened over the inner part to combine the two layers into an integrated whole. Finally, craftsmen use thin bamboo strips to bind and stitch the hat brim tightly.

Finishing Decoration & Practical Design（收尾装饰与实用设计）

The top of the outer layer is slightly pointed and prone to wear and tear during daily use. To solve this problem, artisans pluck soft thick goose feathers and attach them to the hat top. The feathers not only enhance the hat’s ornamental appeal but also effectively reduce friction, extending its service life. Exquisite in craftsmanship and practical in function, the Top Stripped Cap is a treasure of Maonan folk craftsmanship.