The Winding Flower Hair Clip: Intangible Cultural Heritage at Fingertips, Blossoms by the Temples

In the gentle afternoon sunlight, filtering through the gauze curtains and casting a soft glow on the desk, I carefully take out that winding flower hair clip. The pink-and-white petals, like the blooming flowers of spring, rest by my temples, and in an instant, my thoughts are pulled into the delicate and tender world of the intangible cultural heritage of winding flowers, calming my heart.

Winding flower, this ancient intangible cultural heritage technique dating back to the Ming Dynasty, has always been centered around silk threads as its “bones” and the craftsman’s dedication as its “soul”. When creating it, the first step is to meticulously design the templates. Thin cardboard is cut into the outlines of petals and leaves, like preparing the framework for the blossoms. Then, selecting silk threads with a gentle luster, using tweezers as a “pen” and patience as “ink”, the threads are wound around the templates circle by circle. There’s no room for impatience in this process—every bit of the strength and angle of the winding affects the final form. Take the petals of this hair clip in front of me as an example; the gradient from pink to white is the result of the craftsman skillfully adjusting the layers of thread winding. When the sunlight falls on them, it can create the vivid effect of petals glistening with morning dew at dawn. The yellow-green stamens, with the thin silk threads winding to create a fluffy texture, seem like the budding new shoots of spring, full of vitality. In every tiny texture, the unique warmth of handcraft is hidden.

In today’s fast-paced world, the intangible cultural heritage of winding flowers, with its slow and meticulous craftsmanship, is like a peaceful island standing firm in the noisy tide. It allows tradition to no longer be a cold display in a museum but a poetic adornment that can be pinned by the temples and integrated into daily life. When I put on this hair clip and walk on the bustling streets, as my hair gently sways, the pearl tassels subtly dangle, bringing out a classical rhythm. Passers-by around me may glance sideways or softly ask about it. This small hair clip becomes a mobile cultural window, letting more people witness the beauty of intangible cultural heritage.

I often think that the inheritance of intangible cultural heritage shouldn’t merely be records in ancient books or the perseverance of veteran craftsmen. It should, more importantly, enter the lives of ordinary people in such a practical and beautiful form. The winding flower hair clip achieves this—it condenses the spring blossoms and thousand-year-old techniques into this small space. When pinned by the temples, it also sows the seeds of inheritance into more people’s hearts. May these blossoms, crafted at the fingertips, keep blooming in the river of time. Let the threads of intangible cultural heritage gently sway with the hair, continuing to write gentle chapters in the lives of generations, and keeping this ancient technique as vibrant as the spring flowers forever.