Photo shows a Tibetan woman wearing colorful Tibetan apron around her waist. [Photo/Internet]

Being the home to Tibetan culture, Lhoka Prefecture in southern Tibet Autonomous Region is especially noted for woolen fabric such as Tibetan apron.

The Tibetan apron, or bangdian in Tibetan language, is a kind of color belly loincloth worn by Tibetan women as a sign of maturity.

Women wear various beautiful bangdians as they like during traditional festivals or holidays, while simple but elegant striped ones are worn at other times.

As it is tied around one’s waist in the front, bangdian is also called Tibetan apron later, and added to the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006.

The most popular apron across the region is said to be made in Gyaidexiu Township of Gonggar County where almost every family has a textile machine.

With the textile machines are crunching on, Gyaidexiu has enjoyed a history of over 1,000 years in making Tibetan apron. Passing down the apron producing techniques from generation to generation, the local Tibetans are also weaving the colorful life in the peaceful and  wonderful times. 

At present, the number of small-size apron workshops is increasing year by year in Gyaidexiu. More than 980 household workshops have been reported with over 2,100 textile machines installed and more than 1, 400 people involved, contributing a total annual income of as much as 8 million yuan.