Nantong Blue Calico Printing and Dyeing Craftsmanship
01 · Historical Records
The roots of Nantong blue printed cloth grew from two things: the indigo plant, and the foundation of an entire home of textile weaving. The practice of taking color from the indigo plant had long been followed in Chinese folk life; by the Song-Yuan transition at the latest, indigo had developed from a plant into a dyeing craft that could be transmitted. After the Yuan and Ming dynasties, every household in the Nantong area had its women weavers, and only then did blue printed cloth gain a stable base of production. It was under these conditions that blue printed cloth matured in step with cotton cloth: quilt covers, wrapping cloths, headscarves, and other daily articles were made by hand spinning, hand weaving, and hand dyeing, with printed patterns consisting mainly of plants, flowers, and animal motifs, as well as simple geometric figures. Its three strengths — resistance to dirt and wear, sturdiness and durability, and auspicious patterns — made blue printed cloth serviceable both in marriage trousseaus and in daily use, so it could be passed down over a long period without decline, and it holds a distinctive place of representativeness among the handicrafts of Nantong.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The traditional printing and dyeing techniques of Nantong blue printed cloth are found throughout the counties of the Nantong area; the more influential workshops were at Shizhuang in Rugao, Erjia and Shigang in Tongzhou, Sanyang in Haimen, Huilong in Qidong, and in the urban district of Nantong. The folk use of indigo plant pigment for dyeing can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods; later, blue indigo developed into a blue-dyeing technique that has continued for more than a thousand years. Nantong borders the Yangtze River and faces the sea, and is suitable for growing cotton. After the Yuan and Ming dynasties, every household in the Nantong area had its women weavers, and the area is a famous home of textile weaving and of blue printed cloth. The Nantong blue printed cloth printing and dyeing technique continues to the present day, making quilt covers, wrapping cloths, headscarves, and other daily articles by hand spinning, hand weaving, and hand dyeing, with printed patterns consisting mainly of plants, flowers, and animal motifs, as well as simple geometric figures. With characteristics such as resistance to dirt and wear, sturdiness and durability, and auspicious patterns, it is deeply loved by the masses and has been passed down without decline for a long time, becoming one of the most representative traditional handicrafts. However, the number of people currently engaged in blue printed cloth printing and dyeing is declining, and there is a gap between old and new professionals; some blue printed cloth has already shifted to automated or semi-automated production, and the traditional craft is gradually being altered. The relevant authorities are called upon to take note: the protection of blue printed cloth printing and dyeing techniques has reached a critical moment.
Making indigo from blue plants
Blue plants are soaked and fermented into indigo paste, then diluted to strength; experienced dyers test on small swatches and never alter the ratio without cause.
Cutting stencils and applying resist
Paper stencils are cut to the motif, laid on the cloth and scraped with lime-and-bean-paste resist; its thickness must block the dye yet wash out cleanly afterwards.
Dyeing by the small-vat fermentation method
The small-vat method concentrates the indigo's strength and shortens the feeding cycle so depth can be adjusted quickly; it is the method Wang Zhenxing still uses today.
Drying and checking the shade
Freshly dyed cloth is repeatedly dried and rinsed; sunlight both fades and tests the colour, and only cloth that stays even in daylight passes the check.
The multi-tone colour series
Wu Yuanxin developed a multi-tone series in which one stencil yields black, white and grey effects through different bath sequences, greatly widening expressiveness.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The traditional printing and dyeing techniques of Nantong blue printed cloth are found throughout the counties of the Nantong area; the more influential workshops were at Shizhuang in Rugao, Erjia and Shigang in Tongzhou, Sanyang in Haimen, Huilong in Qidong, and in the urban district of Nantong. The blue printed cloth of each place has its own preference in pattern boards and folding methods. Judging from the distribution of inheritors, the Erjia area is an important branch: Wang Zhenxing was transferred to the Erjia Printing and Dyeing Factory in 1959 to work in printing and dyeing, where he studied various dyes and dyeing methods, the most precious of which was the traditional small green vat fermentation dyeing method; in 1995 he founded the Zhengxing Dye House, insisting on using natural plant indigo as dye. In addition, the Nantong Blue Printed Cloth Art Museum undertakes the function of collecting and organizing patterns locally.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Blue Calico Printing and Dyeing Craftsmanship · Blue Calico Printing and Dyeing Craftsmanship · Blue Calico Printing and Dyeing Craftsmanship.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Blue printed cloth printing and dyeing techniques have been transmitted for a long time, spread widely, and had a far-reaching influence; they possess high cultural value. The Nantong Blue Printed Cloth Museum has collected more than one thousand physical items and photographic materials of blue printed cloth from the Ming and Qing dynasties onward, designed and developed more than one hundred kinds of blue printed cloth product series, and compiled and published works such as the Collection Volume and Pattern Volume of the Complete Compendium of Chinese Blue Printed Cloth Patterns, displaying the distinction and charm of Nantong's printing and dyeing techniques. Wu Yuanxin (record from the official file of the associated inheritor): Male, Han ethnicity, born in 1960, of Nantong, Jiangsu. Representative inheritor of Nantong blue printed cloth printing and dyeing technique, a national-level intangible cultural heritage item of the first batch; master of Chinese arts and crafts. For more than thirty years, Wu Yuanxin has devoted himself wholeheartedly to preserving and organizing a large number of blue printed cloth items of high artistic value scattered among the people, together with their working processes; in 2005 he published the Complete Compendium of Chinese Blue Printed Cloth Patterns, filling the gap in Chinese monographs on blue printed cloth patterns. On the basis of inheriting tradition, he continually adapted to the needs of the times and inaugurated a multi-color series of blue printed cloth, with works presenting the distinctive artistic effect of black, white, and gray. In addition to actively holding blue printed cloth exhibitions within China, he has traveled repeatedly to the United States, Germany, Japan, and other countries to publicize Nantong blue printed cloth abroad, contributing to the promotion of ethnic folk art. He also runs a blue printed cloth art museum on his own initiative. His representative works include Abundance Year After Year, the Twin Fish Tablecloth Craft Series, and the Joyful Reunion Table Runner Series. Wang Zhenxing (record from the official file of the associated inheritor): Male, Han ethnicity, born in May 1939, of Nantong City, Jiangsu Province. Representative inheritor of Nantong blue printed cloth printing and dyeing technique, a national-level intangible cultural heritage item of the fourth batch. Master of arts and crafts of Jiangsu Province. In 1959 he was transferred to the Erjia Printing and Dyeing Factory to work in printing and dyeing, studying various dyes and dyeing methods, the most precious of which was the traditional small green vat fermentation dyeing method. In 1973 he became head of export-product inspection at the Erjia Printing and Dyeing Factory, and in 1975 chief of the Production Technology Section. After retiring in 1990, he was engaged successively by the Nantong Tourist Arts and Crafts Research Institute and the Nantong Arts and Crafts Research Institute to develop blue printed cloth products; in 1995 he founded the Zhengxing Dye House. He insisted on using natural plant indigo as dye, producing blue printed cloth in the traditional sense, so that people's memory of traditional native indigo is made a reality.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Wu Yuanxin 01-0144
- Liu Dapao 03-1312
- Wang Zhenxing 04-1839
- Zhou Jiming 05-2733
- Jiang Liangshou 05-2734
- Liu Xinjian 05-2735
- Aijingwei
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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