Contemporary Rug Weaving
in Eastern Turkestan

While rugs from the oasis towns of Eastern Turkestan -- part of the Xinjiang region of Western China (Illustration 1) -- are well known to collectors, they have not established a clear identity for themselves on the new rug market. A recent visit to this region demonstrated why new rugs from this area should not be overlooked.

The government agency that oversees weaving in China, The China National Native Produce and Animal By-Products Import and Export Corporation, has a Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, Carpets Branch. This manages a number of weaving establishments throughout the region, most of them located in the Khotan oasis. Despite the ominous title for this organization, it is clear that a number of different traditions survive (and perhaps originate) from its overall direction. Far from homogenizing the carpet weaving of the region, this organization allows a number of different traditions to survive.

Illustration 1. Pictorial rug with Xinjiang region of Western China

Khotan is a large agricultural area about 40 miles across and supports a population of about 1.4 million people. The population of the region is predominantly Turkic speaking, and they still write using the Arabic script. The relationship between the Chinese (Han) and the local population, while strained at times, appears predominantly one of cooperation. There are a number of towns and villages scattered throughout the oasis, with about 30 carpet workshops. When taken as a whole, the oasis is not so much a limited area as it is a collection of villages.

Not surprisingly, these carpet workshops cater to a wide variety of tastes, and many of them (particularly the smaller operations) operate independently. One in an outlying town only weaves silk rugs in Persian designs, while the largest workshop, in Khotan city, weaves coarser rugs in a variety of designs (Illustration 2), some of them adapted from Caucasian rugs. While the weaving tradition in this region has previously been based around use of cotton warps, rugs with all-wool foundations are also being made. The reason is that there is a market for such products.

Illustration 2. Described as "Khotan-Persian," the design on this carpet is suited to coarse knotting, while the rug is woven with a relatively high knot-count. The end result may leave western sensibilities less than satisfied.

While it is clear that the major focus of the organization is the market, there appears to be little focus upon the production of particular types of rugs that the organization feels will be successful on the market. Instead, perhaps with a limited amount of market research, a variety of material is produced. A number of rugs are adaptations of classic designs and, while some show considerable sensitivity, all such copies lack what could be appreciated as a first-hand knowledge of the design. As with any large producer of carpets, there are rugs that are unsuccessful. Some of the most successful products are those from cottage industries.

In addition to the factories controlled by the government, substantial weaving is done in the houses of the local population, the Uighur Turks, who continue to use their traditional pomegranate designs on a blue field (Illustration 3). Nineteenth century versions of this design are sought by collectors but, at this time, most of the naturally-dyed examples are to be found in the West. The new rugs are synthetically dyed, as are apparently all new rugs of the region. There is a long romance with synthetic dyes in Xinjiang. Many rugs from the 1920s and 1930s with good designs are scarred by a fleeting pinkish-red color.

Illustration 3. Village product of Khotan. While the design is traditional, synthetic colors are used. The orange is a particular source of displeasure for many western buyers, as is the border, which gives the overall effect of a 1960s psychedelic revival.

Kashgar also produces rugs in silk, all wool, and wool with cotton foundation. In the center of the city, in the Handicrafts Center on Jeifang Road, is a workshop, and there are several other workshops in the suburbs. Silk rugs have been produced here, although now the weavers are focused upon wool pile rugs, some of which also have a wool foundation. As in Khotan, there are adaptations from a number of sources. Considering that the looms are of the same massive metal construction as those in most Khotan workshops, and that the weavers' tools are exactly the same, it appears that the Chinese government has organized production down to the smallest detail, perhaps simply codifying earlier practice (Illustration 4).

Illustration 4. Workshop in Khotan. Unlike many rug factories, the management was pleased to show their plant. The working conditions are admirable, well lighted and very clean. All the looms were designed to give tremendous tension over a large surface area. The tools -- beaters, scissors, and knives -- appear to originate from one source, as there was no variation between workshops.

In some respects the most interesting production is in Urumchi itself where the finest silks are woven, mostly in individual homes. Silk rugs are woven in 300, 350, 400, 500, 600, and 720 line grades. Almost all of these are in adaptations of Persian designs, although they may be done with great skill and creativity. The colors are well chosen, and the resulting carpet -- even at retail in several specialty shops around Urumchi -- is highly competitive with the finest Middle Eastern rugs.

There were even several specialist carpets of silk with pile on both sides, the result of having weavers work simultaneously on both sides of the loom (Illustration 5). While these rugs demonstrate the skill of the weavers involved, they are clearly a novelty and not designed for a wide market.

Illustration 5. Double-sided silk carpet. Examples of some of the finest new carpets are on display (and for sale) at the main museum, Urumchi, where there is also an important display of the material culture of the local inhabitants.

Also interesting were a group of silk rugs with the background covered in a brocade of gold-plated metal wrapped thread. This is a technique long associated with antique rugs from Kashgar, although there we found no trace of it. A more detailed discussion of the history of this technique will be available in an upcoming article by my father, Murray L. Eiland Jr. Again, the designs are all Persian derivatives, but the workmanship is exquisite (Illustration 6).

Illustration 6. Silk carpet with metal brocade (Urumchi).

Not surprisingly, most rugs are not intended for local consumption, although the burgeoning economy of the region could easily support a local market. Rugs are generally not sold in local bazaars. There were no rugs for sale in the fabled Kashgar Sunday Market, and even the Ardaoqiao Bazaar in Urumchi has relatively few shops that carry the independently made Uighur rugs of Kashgar, along with machine-made rugs with bright red fields and Persian-esque designs (Illustration 7). From a variety of sources it was clear that the carpet-making traditions of the region had focused upon export, and the weavers themselves were eager to sell their products for a profit while using machine-made carpets for their own homes. The current situation, while lamented by some, is only indicative of the new capitalist agenda pursued by the Chinese government.

Illustration 7. Lurid floral carpet. Rugs like this are invariably blamed on the Uighurs, who "like the bright colors." They are clearly not designed for export. Similar patterns and colors appear on machine-made carpets used locally.

In Urumchi there is a large government warehouse offering an enormous range of merchandise. While a few of them have the flavor of earlier rugs from the region, and even fewer actually look like Han Chinese rugs, most were woven to compete on international markets with rugs from numerous countries. As in other fields, the Chinese are clearly market-driven in this enterprise and they are obviously searching -- at times successfully -- for the most successful combinations of design and color.

Thanks are due to the Oriental Ceramic Society for making funds available for my travel to Central Asia.