Shining at the foot of the Naiqin Kangsang Snow Mountain at an altitude of 4800 meters, Pulu Fashion Show

The sky is the curtain, the earth is the platform, and the back is the Naiqin Kangsang Snow Mountain. On the morning of September 17, a fashion show of Shigatse traditional clothing and crafts called "Snow Land · Echo" was opened in Mayu Village, Gyangze County, Shigatse, Xizang, 4800 meters above sea level.

It is the season for harvesting barley, and the model is dressed in clothing made from traditional Tibetan handicrafts - Pulu, accompanied by rhythmic music, walking lightly on the stage. The blue sky, white snow capped mountains, green grasslands, golden barley, and colorful Pulu costumes are woven together to create a dreamlike atmosphere, bringing a strong visual impact to the audience

The planner of this fashion show is Guo Xiuling, the founder of Shanghai's local art cashmere brand Sandriver Shajuan. Since July last year, she began to launch the long-awaited "Pulu Ten Year Revival Plan" - to integrate the nearly 2000 years of culture of Xizang into the modern design concept and modern technology, and finally move to the international fashion stage and become a local luxury brand.

"After more than a year of hard work, especially because it was included in the list of Shanghai's Tibet aid projects, the 10-year plan has taken a gratifying step." Guo Xiuling, who was far away in Xizang, excitedly told reporters by phone.

The "Snowy Region Echo" Shigatse Traditional Costume Fashion Show was held at the foot of the Naiqin Kangsang Snow Mountain at an altitude of 4800 meters.

Many years ago, there was a "Pulu Dream"

The fate with Pulu actually began many years ago.

Guo Xiuling comes from Inner Mongolia. In 2002, she brought her industry's top 5 global expert title and over 200 technical patents from Germany to Shanghai Jinshan, where she founded Shanghai Shajuan Fashion Technology Co., Ltd. From 2002 to 2012, like most local manufacturers, Sha Juan worked as a contract manufacturer for many international luxury brands, but in reality, the profits obtained were minimal. In early 2012, she had a painful experience and decided to establish her own brand, aiming to establish it in the European market with a large number of cashmere culture enthusiasts.

After more than ten years of development, Shajuan now has more than 30 overseas direct and cooperative stores in France, Germany, the United States, and Japan, 11 offline boutique stores in Beijing and Shanghai, five multilingual e-commerce websites, and two overseas exhibition halls.

Establishing independent brands, China's "good stories" and "good voices" are the source. Sha Juan draws inspiration from national treasures and intangible cultural heritage projects such as the Forbidden City, Potala Palace, Mogao Caves, traditional silk paintings, and Jinshan farmer paintings, and incorporates ancient techniques such as plant dyeing, handmade felt, and royal embroidery. The core technology of Shajuan Art Cashmere comes from the intangible cultural heritage "handmade cashmere" technique in Inner Mongolia. Craftsmen use their hands to warm up and blend the remaining cashmere scraps from spinning and weaving into clothing, home bedding, and even art paintings. It interprets the most primitive and sustainable development concept on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia.

"Pulu art carries the culture of Xizang for nearly 2000 years, but with the change of times, the application scenarios are limited. In addition, the pulu handicrafts consume considerable manpower and energy, and the selling price cannot rise, so this art may be on the verge of extinction." When planning the development of the Shajuan brand in the next decade, Pulu art leaped into the eyes of Guo Xiuling.

In terms of Pulu art, there is still a voice surging in her heart: there is a magical connection between Mongolian culture and Tibetan culture, such as the longest and most extensive living epic that humans have so far, and the representative work of intangible cultural heritage, the Gesar epic, which was jointly created by the Mongolian and Tibetan ethnic groups.

Include in the list of Shanghai's aid to Tibet projects

In July 2022, Guo Xiuling entered Xizang as a "craftsman in Shanghai". Since the "Pulu Ten Year Revival Plan" and the purpose of "people's livelihood first, industry first, planning first, talent first" of Shanghai's Tibetan aid work hit a good agreement, the Shanghai Tibetan Aid Cadre Liaison Group immediately decided to include it in the list of Tibetan aid projects in Shanghai.

Guo Xiuling said, "With the help of Tibetan aid officials, I can have a deep understanding of the local village handicraft situation and discover the pain points in the development of Pulu handicrafts. The local altitude is very high, and Tibetan aid officials are always on the front line, sticking to their positions, which further inspires me to accelerate the complete revitalization and restoration of Pulu art."

In March and July this year, with the strong support of the Shanghai Liaison Group for Aid to Xizang, Gyantse County sent two batches of 25 Tibetan sisters to the "Shanghai Craftsman Innovation Studio" of Shanghai Shajuan Fashion Technology Co., Ltd. for free training. The training course lasts for one month and mainly trains on felt skills, Pulu design, new equipment for Pulu, crochet, etc. It integrates traditional Tibetan weaving techniques with new modern design concepts.

In November or December this year, the third batch of 35 Xizang A-sisters will arrive in Shanghai again, and preparations are being made before departure. In the future, such training programs will continue to be carried out.

The handmade Pulu, incorporating modern craftsmanship and design elements, was showcased at a fashion show.

"Xizang A-Sis are born artists. They have long been immersed in Thangka art, have superb creativity and inspiration sensitivity, and can easily match colors. The designers of Sha Juan have also been inspired by the process of communication with Xizang A-Sis. This training is actually a journey of two-way travel and cultural integration. I am willing to teach them my 32 years of technical accumulation free of charge," Guo Xiuling said.

In the middle of May this year, the training of the first batch of 15 Xizang A-Sis was completed, and they returned to Jianggagang Karzi Handicraft Farmers Professional Cooperative. They not only brought back new technologies and processes, but also worked as "little teachers" for others while working on their own. They also brought back 12 new weaving machines and 500 scarf orders and contracts provided by Sha Juan, with a processing fee of 300 yuan per order, totaling 150000 yuan.

A Tibetan girl with a limp is unable to engage in heavy physical labor. Now, dozens of orders in this batch of contracts belong to her. "I don't have to 'palm up' anymore." A disabled girl in her twenties, who is paralyzed in her lower limbs, cannot sit in front of the weaving machine like her sisters. After learning about it, Sha Juan specially designed cashmere crochet ornaments and pendants and entrusted her with processing. The processing fee for the first batch of 500 handicrafts was also 30000 yuan.

I plan to make my debut at Paris Fashion Week next year

How far can the "Pulu Ten Year Revival Plan" go? The final effect needs to be tested by the market.

"Soft and elastic to the touch" and "The scarf has a natural color scheme and is also easy to match with clothes"... During this year's "May 5th Shopping Festival", the Pulu scarf from the Sha Juan brand made its debut on Nanjing East Road Pedestrian Street, attracting countless attention.

The success of the big show on September 17 made Guo Xiuling have a more ambitious plan: along the industrial chain, continue to "bring out" Xizang culture and create new works.

This is not only the creation process, but also the process of thinking about the layout of the whole industrial chain of Pulu: "From the point to the line, we should start from the source of the industry to help the local establish a systematic collection and integration of raw materials, such as how to divide cashmere, scientific management, animal husbandry sheep breed iteration, etc. From the line to the surface, we will also expand the scope of radiation, and think about how to help Xizang's clothing brands present tension and move to the world stage."

Since the launch of the "Pulu Ten Year Revival Plan", Guo Xiuling has entered Tibet nine times, with the main purpose of constantly polishing this industrial chain: Sha Juan sends the cashmere purchased from Tibet to Shanghai, and then sends it back to Gyantse, Xizang after professional processing and dyeing; Inviting international level designers to participate in the design, in addition to shawls and scarves, we have also developed categories such as clothing, pillows, cushions, craft ornaments, and pendants; The senior technicians of Shajuan Factory have always been concerned about the graduated Tibetan sisters, answering questions online and remotely solving technical problems.

The Sha Juan brand has been around for over a decade and has made eight consecutive appearances at the main venue of Paris Fashion Week; Joining LVMH Group's top department store in Paris, Le Pen Marche, becoming the only Chinese cashmere brand in the mall; The bedding and SPA blankets used by top luxury hotels around the world, such as AMAN and Rosewood, as well as some airline aircraft blankets, all have the presence of the Sha Juan brand. Guo Xiuling stated that these international stages will empower the Pulu industry chain and pave the way for Tibetan women to become rich.

In addition, in January next year, Guo Xiuling is also preparing to lead Tibetan A-Jie to France to participate in Paris Fashion Week and promote Pulu... "I look forward to European customers being amazed by our products, allowing them to see Chinese luxury goods, see 'high-quality China', and see the irreplaceable cultural beauty of the Chinese nation."