Blue Calico |
Learn Chinese - History and Culture | |||
The blue calico (lán yìn huā bù 蓝印花布) is a kind of traditional printed-dyed handicraft in the south area of the Yangtze River with a long history that can be traced back to Qin (qín 秦) and Han (hàn 汉) Dynasties. Blue calico absorbs the blue-grass which is natural plant as dyestuff, refined through several printed-dyed handicrafts. The patterns on the cloth are simple but elegant, and with local characteristic. During Song (song 宋) Dynasties, blue calico was called “Yaoban Cloth”(yào bān bù 药斑布), and during Ming (míng 明) and Qing (qīng 清) Dynasties, it was called “Jiaohua Cloth” (jiāo huā bù 浇花布). The patterns on blue calico are all from civil society, and they reflect the seeing and hearings of the common people. With the development of the textile technology during Qing Dynasty, there are quantities of dyeing and weaving workshops. The most famous blue calico is made in Nantong (nán tōng 南通), Jiangsu (jiāng sū 江苏) Province. It is the representative of Chinese blue calico. It takes over the traditional patterns that were created during Ming and Qing dynasties. And the blue calico that we have seen nowadays is also with the pattern created during Ming and Qing dynasties. The tablecloth, cloth wrapper, handkerchief and bedcover that are made with blue calico are popular among people. The blue calico workshop “Feng Tong Yu”(fēng tong yù 丰同裕) and “Tai Sen”(tài sēn 泰森) are the top ones among all the shops. 蓝印花布
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