Ten years of Beijing dust-stained cloth, west lake misty rain and heart violation analysis of ancient dyeing process, see colorful colors

Dyeing valerian originated in China, is the general name of the ancient silk printing and dyeing process. It is a technique that combines embroidery with dyeing and weaving. Dye is applied to satin by hand, and then embroidered with thread to create a pattern, finally completing an embroidery and dyeing work.

Dyeing process requires a variety of tedious production steps, including silk selection, dip dyeing, overflow dyeing, embroidery and so on. Because the production process of dyed Valerian fine and cumbersome, so each dyed Valerian works are works of art.

The dyed works are characterized by colorful colors and bright patterns. The design patterns are diverse, including flowers and birds, landscapes, and humanistic images. In dyed works, embroidery and dyeing complement each other, making the color of the pattern more bright and delicate, and the pattern is more three-dimensional.

In ancient times, dyed valerian technology used to be a work of art favored by upper-class people such as royal nobles, literati, wealthy merchants and giants. Today, dyed valerian technology is also widely used in home decoration, clothing and so on.

According to the existing historical records and cultural relics, the history of dyed Valerian in China can be traced back to the Qin Dynasty or earlier, but there is no sufficient evidence. In the Tang Dynasty, Ma Ming recorded the beginning of Qin Shihuang's dyeing in the Notes on Ancient and Modern China.

The Song Dynasty Gao Cheng wrote in "The Chronicle of Things" in "The Record of Eryi", which also wrote that "there was a beginning between the Qin and Han dynasties, and Chen and Liang were both noble and humble"

It is proved that dyed valerian already existed in Qin and Han dynasties, and can be worn regardless of noble or humble status, but the skill is not mature, so the number is very limited.

It can be seen from the unearthed cultural relics that few dyed valerian products were found in the Qin and Han dynasties, which also shows that the dyeing process was still in its infancy. The ancients first used letterpress printing, because our country began to use letterpress to print pottery patterns as early as the Neolithic Age, and began to use it for seals and sealing mud in the Zhou Dynasty.

Even in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, letterpress printing was developed for fabrics. By the Western Han Dynasty, it had developed to a higher level. The silk printing yarn and gold and silver clay printing yarn unearthed from the Han Tomb in Mawangdui, Changsha, Hunan Province were the products of overprinting and repainting with three pieces of letterpress printing. They were the representatives of letterpress printing technology at that time and fully demonstrated the high achievements.

The process of letterpress printing greatly improved the production efficiency of traditional silk printing at that time. However, due to technical limitations, the color dyed on the cloth was often not firm, and it was faced with decolorization, blurred patterns and other quality problems of finished products after washing several times. Therefore, people began to think of ways to improve innovative techniques, and letterpress printing was gradually replaced by the "three valerian" after the Han Dynasty, that is, twisted valerian, wax valerian and clip valerian.

In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, due to the development of the process, dyeing has begun to be widely used in daily clothing. It is recorded in the Book of the Sui Dynasty that Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty once ordered the production of five-color clip valerian flower skirt to reward maids, civil and military officials and ministers and mother's wives and concubines.

The ancient tomb of Astana in Turpan, Xinjiang, which was unearthed in the sixth year of Emperor Kaihuang in the Sui Dynasty, was beautifully decorated with small white flowers scattered on the blue silk cloth, just like the stars shining in the night, vivid and colorful, which fully shows that the dyeing technique of valerian in that period has reached a very high level.

Development to the Tang Dynasty, printing and dyeing technology has been very mature. Not only a variety of styles, but also broke through the shackles of clothing. After the mid-Tang Dynasty, wearing dyed valerian products became a social fashion and was the most fashionable dress at that time. In the Tang Dynasty, a popular folk costume of "green and green, flat-headed, small flowers and grass shoes" was used.

Wang Jin's "Tang Yulin" Volume 4 "Xian Ai Tiao" once recorded that Valerian was dyed "all over the world, but was taken by the most humble".

It proves that even the people at the bottom can use this skill, which greatly enriches the dressing style of ordinary people.

In the paintings and craft products handed down from the Tang Dynasty, we can see the wide application of dyed valerian products, such as Zhou Fang's "Hairpin Lady Picture", Zhang Xuan's "Tamping Practice Picture" and some Tang tricolor figurines and Dunhuang Tang Dynasty murals.

In addition to these ordinary dyed valerian, the Tang Dynasty also invented a special dyed warp fabric, which is first treated with twisted valerian method and then woven into patterns. Due to tie-dyeing, each warp thread has different tension, and the warp pattern contour is uneven during weaving, which has a unique artistic effect.

Dyed warp fabrics have been circulating for a long time and have developed into printed warp fabrics in modern times. The warp threads are first put on the loom for a "fake weaving", that is, loose and simple weaving, then printing, removing the fake weft, and then formal weaving. The pattern of this fabric has a special charm, which is very popular at home and abroad, and is a very popular special high-grade fabric.

In addition to being used for dyeing clothing, dyed valerian is often used as a decoration for furniture. The prosperity of the Silk Road in the Tang Dynasty also spread these techniques and handicrafts to the surrounding countries. Japan's Nara Masukura Court now has a variety of dyed valerian screens in the Tang Dynasty.

During the Five Dynasties and Ten States, dyed valerian followed the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty and developed further. At that time, a variety of printing and dyeing patterns were popular among the people. In the book "Broken Gold" in the Yuan Dynasty, nine kinds of dyed valerian names in the Tang Dynasty were recorded, namely, sandalwood valerian, Shu valerian, pinch valerian, brocade valerian, cocoon valerian, paste water valerian, three sets, valerian and deer embryo spots, etc. In addition, there are fish valerian, agate valerian, valerian and so on.

Some of these names are based on the colors. For example, the deer fetus valerian is because it looks like the lines on the deer, with yellow-brown as the background color and white spots on it. Jin valerian is based on the common geometric patterns in brocade patterns. Cocoon refers to the scattered spots of silkworm cocoon, which are very vivid.

Some are named because of different printing and dyeing process methods, such as pinch valerian is a kind of twisted valerian anti-dyeing printing. Others are named according to the place of origin, such as Shu Valerian.

The style is complex and creative. The colorful patterns condense the ancients' pursuit of beauty. Many pictographic patterns also reflect the wisdom of working people to observe nature and discover beauty from life, which confirms the saying that art originates from life and is higher than life.

But with the development of time, dyed Valerian has ushered in a development crisis. Due to the prevalence of dyed valerian, a large number of manpower has been used to make exquisite dyed valerian clothing and daily necessities. The process is becoming more and more complicated and the requirements are getting higher and higher.

By the Song Dynasty, the society had been unable to bear the high consumption derived from dyed valerian products, and extravagance became popular among the royal family, so the government ordered a ban on the production and use of dyed valerian products. Song Renzong stipulated that "the disciples should not dress in black, brown, white and blue, yellow and purple";

And within ten days, Kaifeng government was ordered to cut off these dye samples. Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty also issued a decree in Zhenghe two years, "forbidding folk building, making Kaifeng government strictly apply its ban, and tourists are not allowed to commit crimes in Valerian version".

With Kublai Khan's invasion of the Central Plains and the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, the land of China became ruled by the Mongols. Due to the difference in aesthetic interests, the Han aesthetics of the Central Plains was suppressed, and the traditional dyed valerian could no longer occupy a place in the mainstream society, and its development was going downhill.

Development to the Ming and Qing Dynasties engraving printing technology has been improved, led to the development of wood, paper and silk screen printing and dyeing color printing technology.

The dyeing process flourished again, and the various types of mature silk fabrics of the Ming and Qing dynasties, which are famous for their brilliant colors, not only showed their exquisite weaving and embroidery craftsmanship, but also reflected their superb color training and dyeing skills.

According to rough statistics, its various types of silk printing dyeing spectrum up to 88 kinds of color, and each color is divided into different levels. The full color spectrum and the number of colors indicate that during this period, China's traditional silk manual printing and dyeing reached its peak in the mastery of raw materials and dyeing technology.

Similarly, a large amount of manpower and material resources were used to make exquisite Ming and Qing silk clothing and daily necessities, the most famous of which is the hand-painted silk clothing and furniture decorations, such as the famous "Phoenix crown and robes" is made by hand, like Yu Xiachengqi, colorful, bright and numerous.

Having said the development process of dyed valerian, let's look at which categories it is usually subdivided.

The Buddhist scripture "all sutra sound and meaning" has a saying: "bind with silk, dye it, and solve the silk into a text, which is called valerian." Valerian is a silk fabric that is supplemented by auxiliary dyes.

It can be said that the emergence of valerian, marking China's ancient silk printing and dyeing skills into a mature period, is a major progress.

From the process classification, dyed valerian is generally divided into four categories: gray valerian, twisted valerian, wax valerian and intercalated valerian.

① Grey valerian

This is also the most well-known and common dark blue printing. It first appeared in the Song Dynasty and developed to the Ming and Qing Dynasties. This kind of dyed cloth has been abundant in many places across the country.

It is a process of printing and dyeing with lime and plant ash as dyeing agent. In the first step, the dyeing agent is spread on the earth cloth covered with hollow flower plate. After drying, the earth cloth is dipped and dyed in the indigo cylinder for many times and then dried. At this time, the dyeing agent is scraped off to show clear blue and white patterns.

The dyeing of valerian ash is mostly made of indigo dye with bluegrass, which is dyed after fermentation. The patterns are mostly drawn from nature. Flowers, birds, fish and insects can be drawn. The dots are important elements in the composition of the gray valerian pattern, and are regularly arranged and combined by several small dots, or form lines, or form geometric patterns.

But no matter how they change, most of these patterns place people's good wishes and expectations for life. For example, drawing gourds means "many children", symbolizing many children and prosperity.

② Stranded Valerian

Also known as a pinch of valerian, a pinch of flowers, now known as tie-dye, is still commonly used in clothes decoration, very popular.

The tie-dyeing process is divided into two parts: tying and dyeing. It is through the yarn, thread, rope and other tools, the fabric for binding, sewing, clamping, to prevent the fabric as a whole is impregnated, but also to make it can show a blooming pattern of a printing and dyeing technology.

In the process of development, it has derived more than 100 kinds of changing techniques, each with its own characteristics. Such as the "roll on the twist", its abstract and concrete characteristics of the clever combination of its rich halo, natural changes, witty.

Even more magical and artistic features are tied out of each flower, even if the number is large, after the dip will not appear the same pattern. This unique artistic effect is difficult to achieve by mechanical printing and dyeing process.

③ Valerian wax

Also known as valerian, it is now called batik.

"Guizhou Tongzhi" has a saying that "painting with wax on cloth and dyeing it, both to wax, the pattern is like painting."

It is a process in which beeswax is used as an anti-dyeing agent, and the pattern is painted on the silk after heating, and then dyed and dewaxed.

Wax is used to draw various patterns on the fabric. When the wax liquid becomes dry, it is put into indigo solution for dyeing. The solution is made of bluegrass as the main dye. Finally, it is boiled in boiling water to remove wax and become a printing and dyeing product with blue background and white flowers.

Because the wax will shrink after drying and condensation, and artificial kneading, it will produce many cracks, dyes penetrate into the cracks, and the finished pattern often produces some irregular and abstract textures, thus forming a unique decorative effect.

The wax is divided into two kinds of monochrome dyeing and double color dyeing. The polychromatic dye has a set of colors to four or five colors, and the colors are natural and rich. The earliest physical records of wax valerian in China began in the Northern Dynasties and developed rapidly in the Tang and Song dynasties.

④ Clip valerian

A hollowed-out double-sided anti-dyeing printing technology refers to the use of two symmetrical pattern splints to clamp the fabric, the use of male patterns to clamp to fasten, the clamping of the fabric of the engraved plate immersed in the dyeing vat, the engraved plate left to allow the dye to flow into the groove to allow the fabric to dye, the clamped part of the retention of the original color.

Compared with the first three, it can be regarded as the oldest printing and dyeing art. It began in the Qin and Han Dynasties and prevailed in the Tang and Song Dynasties. The colors of the clip valerian are colorful and extremely popular. The military uniforms of officers and soldiers are also marked with "clip valerian.

Bai Juyi once wrote in "Playing with Half Blossom and Giving Huangfu Lang Zhong" that "Chengdu Xinjia Valerian, Liang Han Broken Rouge."

Poetry ghost Li He wrote in "Angry Gong" that "Drunk Valerian throws red net, single Luo hangs green."

It can be seen that the art of valerian was very popular in the Tang Dynasty, and even the clothes worn by the painted bodhisattvas in the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang were mostly valerian fabrics. According to folklore, valerian was invented by Liu Jieyu's younger sister in Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.

"Tang Yu Lin" quoted "Yin Quotations" cloud: "Xuanzong Liu Jieyu have talent to learn, on the very important. Jieyu sister suitable Zhao, sex smart, because the work carved board for the image of mixed flowers and for the clip. Because Jieyu birthday to offer the king and queen a horse, see and reward, because the imperial palace according to the sample system. At that time very secret, after gradually out, all over the world."

Through dyeing, we have seen the wisdom of the ancient people, their eyes that are good at discovering beauty, and their unique, mysterious and enduring Chinese culture.

With the development of later generations, the skill of dyeing has been gradually lost among the people and submerged in the long river of history. However, nowadays, some traditional craftsmen and young people have begun to study and ponder this skill and use their own strength to inherit and revive it. Although it has not been widely promoted, it has ignited a spark again, which shows the tenacious vitality of China's traditional culture and pays tribute to the inheritors of these craftsmen.