Huang Daopo, a poor woman from the sludge essence of Songjiang, Shanghai, in the late Southern Song Dynasty, experienced unimaginable tribulations. She was sold as a child bride since she was a child, and her life was hard, and although she worked day and night, she had no food and clothing. Her story is a microcosm of countless low-level people in that era.
However, it was such a woman from humble beginnings, with her strong will and unremitting efforts, that eventually became a legend for the benefit of one party. Huang Daopo's great contribution to the textile industry not only promoted the prosperity of the textile industry in the Yangtze River Delta region, but also made her reputation spread overseas.
In Huang Daopo's childhood, she not only had to take on heavy household chores, but also went up the mountains to herd cattle, ploughed the farm, and had no rest at night, and had to spin and weave cloth. At that time, the Jiangnan area had just begun to introduce cotton planting, and the technology was not yet mature, the yield was low, and the textile technology was also backward. Huang Daopo is not afraid of hardships and continues to learn and improve, so her handicraft skills are becoming more and more exquisite.
An illness made her decide to escape the harsh family environment, and she fled to the Huangpu River, where she was lucky enough to be taken in by a merchant ship. After that, she was exiled to Hainan Island, where the enthusiasm and advanced textile techniques of the Li people influenced Huang Daopo, and she began to settle down temporarily in the Taoist temple and gradually learned more advanced weaving techniques.
More than 30 years later, Huang Daopo learned that the Yuan Dynasty had expropriated cotton cloth in Jiangnan, and she saw an opportunity to give back to her hometown. She said goodbye to her Li sisters and returned to Shanghai, where she found that the textile technology in her hometown was still backward. So, she traveled around, selflessly taught the Li weaving techniques, and created a new spinning wheel that greatly improved efficiency. She also developed new weaving techniques and developed the famous sludge quilt, which promoted the rapid development of the cotton textile industry in Jiangnan.
Huang Daopo's reforms and innovations not only promoted the economic development of China in the Yuan Dynasty, but also profoundly changed people's lives. The popularity of cotton cloth replaced the traditional silk linen, and the status of women was thus enhanced. The cotton textile technology she promoted quickly became popular throughout the country, and the Songjiang area became the country's cotton textile center for hundreds of years.
Huang Daopo's life is an epic full of tenacity and dedication. Her story and spirit have been sung by future generations and have become a popular god who has inspired countless people. Hundreds of years have passed, and the image of Huang Daopo and her singing voice are still circulating among the people: "Huang Poma, Huang Po, teach me to weave, teach me cloth, two tubes, two pieces of cloth." This song is the best commemoration of Huang Daopo's selfless teaching of skills.