CHINA

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culture and textiles

• CHINA

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Background information

• For hundreds of years China stood as a leading
  civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in
  the arts and sciences.

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geography
China is 9.60 million square km in size
including Tibet, Hong Kong, Taiwan and
Macau. The countryside Ranges from coastal plains
to mountainous regions. The temperature ranges
from hot to extremely cold in different regions
of this diverse country.
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Buddhist temple
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Workers skills and status

• The government does not support traditional
  artisans but the growth in the tourism industry
  and interest in the history of China and its
  minority ethnic groups has allowed traditional
  skills to be passed down from mothers to
  daughters, developing thriving traditional
  industries.

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Intricate and symbolic hand embroidery using silk
thread can take artisans hundreds of hours to
produce. the circular pattern of nine fish
represents the extended family and family life.
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Hand weaving loom.
Fabric weaving, silk yarn Indigo dyed fabric
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Above a man uses a hand operated loom to
weave an intricate silk brocade. Hand made
brocades are very time consuming and expensive .
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Indigo is the traditional dye used by the ethnic
minority groups. In the traditional pieces white
stitching was used to highlight designs.

• The indigo plant is a woody plant that grows to
  about 2 metres in height in the steep hills of
  southern China
• The indigo leaves are fermented in a vat with
  water, cellulosic fabric (eg cotton, flax) that
  is immersed in the dye bath
• A dark blue to black colour is achieved.

• Explain how traditional indigo dyes were made?

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