A wheat straw work produced in Poli town [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Poli town in Qingdao West Coast New Area in Shandong province has built a reputation for wheat straw paintings, a traditional Chinese folk art with a history of over 1,500 years.

The art takes advantage of the straw's natural gloss and veins to depict landscapes, flowers, animals and human figures. The techniques are borrowed from many other artistic forms, including conventional painting, engraving, paper-cutting and calligraphy.

A wheat straw work produced in Poli town [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

After completing the complex process of fuming and steaming, scraping, cutting, carving, scalding, bleaching, pasting and polishing, wheat straw becomes a delicate material that can be used in hand-crafted art.

In October of 2020, wheat straw paintings were listed as a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage in Shandong. The craft is part of a special industry in Poli town and has boosted local farmers' incomes.

A wheat straw work produced in Poli town [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Wheat straw paintings were presented as a gift from the nation to guests participating in the 2018 Shanghai Cooperation Organization's Qingdao Summit. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Wheat straw paintings were presented as a gift from the nation to guests participating in the 2018 Shanghai Cooperation Organization's Qingdao Summit. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]