For decades, the people of Tianjin have taken pride in three forms of folk art - Tianjin carpets, Zhang clay figurines and Yangliuqing New Year Paintings - representing the softer side of this northern port and industrial city.
Tianjin's Feng Chuan carpets have been sent far and wide; from the United States to the Middle East.
Every year, the equivalent of 3.2 million square feet of wool is used to produce carpets and tapestries for export in three city-owned factories in Wuqing county, located between Tianjin's city centre and Beijing.
Sales figures, although dwarfed by the city's industrial output figures, are growing by the year.
Tianjin Wuqing County No 1 Carpets Factory director Liu Guozao said the factory had sales of 50 million yuan (about HK$46.5 million) in 1995, with 60 million yuan forecast this year.
He said the hand-made carpets were aimed at the middle to high-end of the market and were sold for US$7 to $10 per sq ft.
