CHINA

CULTURE AND TEXTILES

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

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

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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.

Buddhist temple

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WORKERS SKILLS AND STATUSThe 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.

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.

Above a man uses a hand operated loom to weave an intricate silk brocade. Hand made brocades are very time consuming and expensive .

Fabric weaving, silk yarn Indigo dyed fabric

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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.

Explain how traditional indigo dyes were made?

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.

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