Shear size counts with record wool rug
One for the record books
A giant 1,018 m² rug made with more than 3,000 kilograms of pure New Zealand wool is headed for the Guinness Book of
Records as the largest single piece rug ever made.
Manufactured by the Beijing Jin Baohua Carpet company for Beijing’s new International Convention Centre, the rug will be
one of the showpieces for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) annual conference to be held in Beijing in
November 2014.
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Aside from its sheer size (it holds the equivalent raw wool of between 800-1,000 ewes) the hand tufted rug was produced
without joints and transported and installed as one complete piece, taking a team of 100 workers two months to complete
Stephen Tan, Manager of Wools of New Zealand's Beijing office and a judge for the record book attempt, says, "the rug
showcases a traditional cultural background, giving expression to human peace and harmonious development. New Zealand
wool was the obvious choice, given its quality characteristics and consistency, making it perfect for deep dyeing and
vibrant colour display.”
Mark Shadbolt, chairman of Wools of New Zealand says manufacturing a rug of this scale and quality is a tremendous and
ambitious achievement. “The fact that it was made exclusively using New Zealand wool reinforces the recognition we have
particularly for premium hand tufted and hand carved rugs internationally, as well as the importance of having
representation in China, New Zealand’s most significant market for strong wool.”
Beijing Jin Baohua Carpets also holds the existing record, for a 729 m² rug it manufactured in May 2009 – hand woven
from New Zealand wool.
ENDS