Straw hat manufacturing

The research shows that Changhe straw hat originated in Qianlong period of Qing Dynasty, and the weaving
technology of Lin straw hat was introduced from Gulin of Ningbo. During the Xianfeng Period of the Qing
Dynasty, Changhe had formed a unique straw hat making process, and its products were mainly sold in Ningbo,
Xinchang, Shengxian and other places. Straw hat soon became the main household sideline of local women.
In 1915, Changhe straw hat ushered in the most glorious day. At the Panama International Export exhibition,
Changhe straw hat won the third prize. Since then, the river hat has gone out of the country. Even the wife
of former President Roosevelt and Queen Elizabeth of England have worn the golden straw hat from the river,
which has become a favorite ornament of Western aristocrats.

Around 1922, the boss of a French foreign firm heard that women in the Changhe area of Cixi were good at
weaving, and their products were well received by consumers. He specially came to inspect and found that
local handicraft wages were low, so he felt profitable. This foreign boss then transported the gold silk
grassland materials produced in Nanyang area to Changhe and other places for distribution, organized them
into straw hats, and then sold them to European and American countries. This greatly promoted the prosperity
of Changhe straw hat industry. Since then, Chinese and foreign businessmen have successively set up dozens
of straw hat shops in Changhe, large and small. The dealers employed by the straw hat shop are frequently
active in the local area, putting in forage and purchasing cool hats.

With the increasing sales of straw hat and the continuous expansion of weavers, a golden straw hat
processing and production center centered on Changhe has naturally formed. Cixi straw weaving handicraft
factory was established in 1954. At that time, there were more than 130 straw hat shops on Changhe street
with more than 10000 employees and an annual output of more than 1.2 million.

After years of development, the raw materials of Changhe straw hat weaving have gradually expanded from the
original single golden grass to more than ten kinds of raw materials such as Nante grass, salty grass,
Japanese papyrus, etc. The “hometown of straw hats” made of “golden straw hats” is glowing with new
brilliance. Today, machine production has replaced manual weaving. At present, the price of pure hand woven
straw hat is not cheap, ranging from a few hundred yuan to thousands of yuan. The golden straw hat is one of
the best, which is popular at home and abroad for its exquisite materials, fine workmanship and flawless.
One of the best Long River Golden straw hats has a market value of about $1000

The first important process of weaving golden straw hat is picking grass. Local people usually distribute
fine grass to straw hat craftsmen with decades of craftsmanship. Then the straw hat is recycled for further
processing, and then sold abroad. So the question is, how to weave the golden straw hat?
There are several steps in the weaving process of golden straw hat: first, it should be woven into hat
blank, then the remaining grass on the edge of the hat blank should be cut off, soaked in bleaching powder
solution, and taken out after about 15 hours. Rinse it with clean water, expose it to the sun, rub it with
smooth stone like eggs after drying, then iron it with an iron, and trim the edge hair until it is smooth
and needleless. In this way, a beautiful gold hat is finished.

There are four basic patterns of golden straw hat: two core hat with golden thread, one core hat with golden thread opposite to flower, golden double wire hat and trumpet hat.

Today, there are still dozens of modern-scale grass hat factories in the river. Under the mechanized production, straw hat has rich styles and exquisite appearance. Cowboy hat, Mexican straw hat, cornice cap, empty top cap, etc., have hundreds of thousands of species. Moreover, it can also be customized according to the needs of customers