Entering the Oula Agricultural Comprehensive Development Company’s Oula Farm in Linshu County, Linyi City, Shandong Province, one finds a wide variety of willow weaving crafts, including home decor, storage, decoration, gardening, and outdoor products. In the Flower Art Life Center, willow weaving flower baskets beautifully complement floral arrangements and greenery; in the Willow Rhythm Life Center, different model rooms display the endless possibilities of willow weaving products from the living room and dining room to the bedroom.
The company continuously explores innovative deep processing of willow weaving, investing millions in R&D each year and establishing a professional design team that launches thousands of new products annually to seize market opportunities. Li Xiuxiu, leader of the research and study group at Oula Farm, explains that by relying on the willow base and weaving production, Oula vigorously develops agricultural experiences, industrial tourism, and educational tourism in the tertiary sector, aiming to achieve an integrated development of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries, thus promoting the transformation and upgrading of the willow weaving industry.
Recently, Linshu County held a promotion conference in Guangzhou for its designation as a “World Craft City” by the World Craft Council, recognizing it as the “Capital of Willow Weaving.” During the conference, certificates and plaques for the title were awarded, marking Linshu County as Shandong Province’s first “World Craft City,” further shining a spotlight on “Linshu Willow Weaving” on the global stage.
Linshu’s willow weaving has evolved from traditional products to modern crafts and artworks that incorporate various materials such as willow grass, willow vines, willow fabric, and willow iron. The products cover dozens of categories and thousands of color varieties to meet the diverse needs of customers worldwide.
The rise of e-commerce has opened pathways for Linshu willow weaving to expand its domestic market. Linshu willow weaving closely integrates with e-commerce, leading to the emergence of brands like “Yiran Home Flagship Store” and “Jinliu Home Flagship Store,” along with Qingyun Town, which has become a “Taobao Town” and hosts five willow weaving “Taobao Villages.”
In recent years, Linshu County has continued to strengthen the protection and transmission of this national-level intangible cultural heritage. The county has established a willow weaving technician team at Linyi Industrial School, launched willow weaving courses, and offered extracurricular willow weaving classes in elementary schools to inspire children’s enthusiasm for the craft. To date, Linshu County has hosted nine China Willow Weaving Cultural Industry Trade Fairs and received over 80 awards at provincial and national craft arts competitions. It has also nurtured more than 30 craft arts masters, including provincial and municipal-level masters and innovators like “Qilu Craftsmen,” with over 10,000 farmers mastering willow weaving skills.