tudents and faculty members from Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) were tilling the soil for sowing cotton seeds on Songjiang Campus in the sun on March 12, 2021. 

“It is valuable for students to experience the production process of cloth from planting a seed since hand-made weavings are rare now,” said Zhang Lijun, a lecturer in Spanish from SISU.

The program originated from Zhang’s research project “Dissemination of Intangible Cultural Heritage on Songjiang Cloth”.

Songjing is known as the cultural root of the city of Shanghai. Songjiang’s cloth culture emerged in the 13th century when a legendary local woman Huang Daopo innovated the technology of cotton textile. The high-quality cloth from Songjiang soon gained a national reputation in China.

“How can we promote Songjiang's cloth before making a piece of cloth by ourselves?” Zhang questioned.

The plan of cotton planting on campus was launched soon with support from SISU’s collaborating departments. It started from zoning a piece of undeveloped campus land for planting, but many students were reluctant to clean up the weeds, especially those with deep roots and a long history. Instead, they transplanted some relatively large weeds to the open space. Some students even proposed to plant them in their dormitory.

Yang Baohua, a local farmer, was invited to explain how to reclaim wasteland since the program started in early January. He taught students when to use power, bend down, and plant by their feet.

“A complete ploughing can remove weeds, loosen the soil, and reduce some pests,” Yang said.

For students who have never tilled the soil, it is really a big challenge. What took the students days to finish could be plowed in a few hours by Yang.

“I have never done farm work before. However, I feel pleased to  learn a lot of agricultural knowledge and to work with others,” said Zhou Yongzhi, a student from SISU's School of European and Latin American Studies.

Several faculty members also felt the happiness brought by farming. Encountering small animals, such as mole crickets, earthworms, and centipedes, has become a special wild interest for them. Zhou Shisi, an administrator from University Facilities Services, said that this experience reminded her of her childhood.

SISU students and faculty members sowed the land at the end of March. Then they have been expecting the harvest after one-year caring.

In order to let the students further understand the charm of Songjiang cloth art, Zhang led the students to visit the “Cloth Culture Exhibition Hall”. The museum displays Songjiang’s cotton cloth, looms and so on, recalling the past when men farming and women weaving in peace and contentment.

Maintaining its own charm, Songjiang Cloth is in line with modern fashion. Yang Panhong, in charge of the exhibition hall, said, “We now have cheongsams of old Shanghai style made by Songjiang cloth. We also have multi-functional cloth notebooks, mobile phone cases, and other cultural and creative products.” This gave the students a new understanding of intangible cultural heritage. 

The exhibition hall will keep cooperating with the school in the future. After the harvest, students can realize the dream of “changing cotton into cloth” in the exhibition hall.

“I believe that we will bring new ideas to the cloth culture, and produce cloth with SISU’s branding in the future,” said Guo Yijie, a student from SISU's School of Law.