Gankeng Hakka Sun-Hat Craft

Gankeng's Hakka sun-hat making dates from the Jiaqing reign of the Qing dynasty, more than two hundred years ago. Gankeng village, also called the sun-hat village, has woven these hats for generations, the craft said to have been learned in Fujian and developed at home.

The hat has a black brim and bamboo-coloured crown with distinctive woven patterns such as starry sky and eyebrow flower. Making one involves around thirty-three steps, including splitting the bamboo, brushing on tung oil, shaping and trimming, with the splitting done by biting the strips until they are paper-thin.

In the 1950s the village was the province's only export base for these hats, which were sold to Hong Kong, Macau, Southeast Asia and Europe. In 2013 the Gankeng Hakka sun-hat craft was listed in the fifth batch of Guangdong's provincial intangible heritage.

The craft is centred on Gankeng in Longgang, now Gankeng Ancient Town, where visitors can learn about its sun-hat culture.