Speaker: Liu Jun
E-mail: jack1963cn#yahoo.com.cn
Organization: Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences (YASS) and the Anthropological Film Production and Research Center

Cobweb Clothes of the Kucong People
Color/40min/VCD/2007
Directors: Liu Jun, Liang Li
Producers: Liang Li, Liu Jun
Location: Zhidong Village, Zhenyuan Yi, Hani, and Lahu Autonomous County

There are approximately 150,000 Kucong Lahu ethnic residents in Zhenyuan County. Due to historical oppression of ethnic minorities, the high altitude and climate of Ailao Mountain, the Kucong have lived at the bottom of the social hierarchy. To this day, there are many Kucong who have yet to escape from poverty. In the 1960s, Zheng Xianwen discovered that Wang Kaiying, the leader of the Kucong community, was forced to wear hats and clothes made from spider webs in order to keep out the cold. Like a story from the history books, one look at the spider web clothing was enough to grasp the plight of the Kucong people. This film is a search for the 40-year-old cobweb clothes, a walk into the memories of the Kucong people and a look at how they are faring today.

Liu Jun
Liu Jun is an associate research fellow in the Institute of Ethnology at the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences and a director with the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences Anthropological Film Production and Research Center. Liu's research and documentary work investigates ethnic cultures.

Liang Li
Liang Li is a community journalist and the director of planning at the Pu'er Daily. Having walked the villages of Pu'er, Liang has a particular interest in research about ethnic minority culture.