Xiangxi batik
Xiangxi Batik
Dear friends:
Hello, everyone! Welcome to Xiangxi. After being immersed in Xiangxi's magical natural landscapes and rich ethnic customs, I hope you won't forget the local specialties that are just as beautiful as the scenery. Xiangxi batik is one of the most famous specialties. It is a folk art with a long history, mainly popular among the Miao, Tujia, Dong, and Yao ethnic minority areas in Xiangxi. It is renowned for its simple and elegant colors, beautiful patterns, and rich cultural connotations, standing out uniquely among folk arts.
Batik should actually be called "wax-resist dyeing," and together with tie-dyeing (bandhnu) and clamp-resist dyeing (hollow-out printing), it is known as one of China's three great ancient printing techniques. The charm of batik crafts lies not only in their exquisite patterns but also in the cracks that form on the fabric after the wax cools, allowing dye to seep into the cracks and create varied color patterns, commonly known as "ice patterns." The same design, when made into batik, can produce different "ice patterns." This is China's ancient resist-dyeing craft with a very long history. As early as the Qin and Han dynasties, the ancestors of the Miao, Dong, Yao, and Tujia ethnic groups in the southwestern region (the various tribes of the Nanman group) had already mastered batik techniques: "painting on cloth, then dyeing it, and removing the wax to reveal the patterns." From surviving and unearthed batik artifacts, we can see that batik was already prevalent in the Tang Dynasty. The three-color batik housed in the Palace Museum in Beijing and the "batik screen with paired trees and sheep" housed in the Shosoin Repository in Japan are both Tang Dynasty relics. Batik fabric dyed with indigo, featuring white flowers on a blue background, has a rich ethnic flavor and rustic charm, and is a unique flower of Chinese ethnic art.
Batik was originally a traditional Chinese folk printing and dyeing craft, known in ancient times as wax resist. According to Volume 10 of the Qiejing Yinyi (Pronunciations and Meanings of the Tripitaka): "It refers to binding silk fabric with thread, dyeing it, and then untying the thread to form patterns, which is called resist." By extension, thin, folded items and patterned silk fabrics were all called resist. From unearthed artifacts such as single-color resist-dyed silk and two-color wax-resist silk, we can see that silk batik was prevalent in ancient times but was later lost over the ages; now there is no silk batik, only hemp and cotton batik.
Xiangxi batik is primitive and simple, and is divided into two major schools: one is Tujia batik printed fabric; the other is Miao and Yao batik homespun cloth. Tujia batik printing emphasizes pure color schemes and pays attention to composition and design; the finished fabric features brilliant and flowing patterns with a uniquely pure and beautiful artistic style, with warm colors as the prominent craft characteristic. Miao and Yao batik homespun cloth emphasizes pure dyeing, does not strive for ornate decoration, and gives a natural and pure artistic impression, with cool colors as the prominent craft characteristic. The two major schools of Xiangxi batik, with their naturally formed different craft colors, share the common characteristics of simplicity and elegance, with clear and concise compositions. This is mainly due to differences in regional customs and the orientation of people's life aspirations. Xiangxi people like to use this batik printed fabric for quilt covers, door curtains, clothing, pillows, tablecloths, etc. Folk dyers have also risen to prominence, and the most famous is Liu Dapao of Fenghuang, whose printed fabric is considered peerless in Xiangxi. Works like Xiong Chengzao's batik pieces and Fu Yuanqing's Chinese ancient script batik calligraphy are highly accomplished and distinctive, widely praised by people from all walks of life. Especially Mr. Xiong Chengzao, after decades of exploration, merged the painting techniques of Chinese painting and Western oil painting into batik production, pushing this ancient art to a brand-new level. Each of his batik works is a unique, unrepeatable edition, extremely precious. Therefore, the batik works of masters Xiong Chengzao and Liu Dapao are highly accomplished. As outstanding folk artists with exceptional contributions, their batik works are valued by the National Cultural Heritage Administration at over 10,000 yuan per square meter. Of course, ordinary batik crafts can be purchased for just a few dozen yuan.
If you have just purchased batik, it is best to soak it in water with added salt for more than 15 minutes to prevent fading. Since batik is made from pure cotton fabric, you should pay attention to moisture-proofing and corrosion prevention to avoid mold and insects. If you bought it for collection rather than decoration, please take it out periodically to air and dry. Do not wash it with water; simply use a semi-dry cloth or duster to brush off dust. In particular, for areas depicting faces, arms, and legs with fair skin outlined in black, never wipe with a wet cloth, as any black residue on the wet cloth may cause discoloration and affect the artistic effect.
The batik craft of Xiangxi is an inheritance of ancient batik techniques, mainly hemp and cotton batik. In its production, self-grown fire hemp and ramie are first processed through multiple procedures and woven into cloth. A copper knife is dipped in molten paraffin wax to draw geometric patterns or flowers, birds, fish, insects, etc. on the white cloth according to the design requirements. After the paraffin solidifies, the fabric is immersed in a dye vat for multiple rounds of dyeing, rinsing, and drying. It is then treated with boiling water at high temperature to remove the wax, revealing the patterns and the mysterious ice patterns, giving the batik a flavor reminiscent of abstract painting.
Batik craft is an indispensable art in the lives of Xiangxi women. Their headscarves, waist wraps, clothes, skirts, and leg wrappings are all made of batik. Other items such as umbrella covers, pillowcases, rice basket covers, bundles, schoolbags, and baby carriers also use batik. Some Miao women decorate the edges of sleeves, front panels, and the front and back hems of their clothes with batik patterns. Their batik baby carriers for carrying children on their backs are especially finely and exquisitely decorated; besides blue and white, some also add red, yellow, green, and other colors, becoming bright and colorful multi-colored batik. Folk batik patterns mainly fall into two categories: natural patterns and geometric patterns. Natural patterns are mostly animal and plant motifs, while geometric patterns are mostly abstractions of natural objects. For example, the Bouyei and Dong peoples favor geometric patterns, mostly totemic designs, including sun patterns, cloud-and-thunder patterns, and fret patterns, continuously symmetrical, simple and elegant. Miao batik patterns, on the other hand, have a historiographic quality, resembling armor, like characters, sometimes freehand, sometimes abstract, freely expressive. Some also adopt patterns from ancient bronze drums and themes from folk legends, while others depict flowers, birds, insects, and fish encountered in daily life. The batik of each ethnic group has its own unique style.
The figurative construction and themes of Xiangxi batik patterns are diverse. This is a product of Xiangxi's historical culture and the psychological art of Xiangxi women. It accumulates rich content from history, ethnicity, tradition, and customs, and expresses the spirit of the times. Although these women have no painting theory or foundational knowledge, through exaggerated techniques and imagination they create batik "works" of high artistic value, many of which also possess the abstract, multi-faceted, and comprehensive characteristics pursued by ancient artistic trends. Xiangxi batik patterns are diverse: baby carrier patterns often combine wheat ears, water hyacinth flowers, and tung flowers; flower skirts use patterns resembling pig trotters arranged symmetrically; flower handbags often feature coins in the center surrounded by flowers and leaves; some patterns use the character for "longevity," and some use fish and bird motifs. Pig trotter patterns represent prosperity of livestock; coin patterns represent wealth; flowers and young girls represent beauty; wheat ears, water hyacinth flowers, and tung flowers represent abundant harvests; longevity character patterns represent health, longevity, freedom, and happiness.
Ice patterns are the characteristic feature of batik that people praise endlessly. Ice patterns form when the wax-painted fabric is repeatedly rolled and immersed during dyeing, causing the wax to crack and the dye to seep through the cracks onto the white cloth, leaving natural patterns that are difficult to replicate artificially—like ice flowers, like turtle-shell patterns, truly indescribably wonderful. Fabrics with the same wax-painted design, after dyeing, produce ice patterns as unique as human fingerprints, each with a different charm, like the crack patterns of Ge kiln and Guan kiln porcelain, giving a profound beauty that is unexpected and elusive. The fabric surface shows white flowers on a blue background; the pattern areas have rich color, fine wax lines, and consistent shading on both sides, creating a distinctive style. This blue batik fabric dyed with natural indigo dye has the most prominent characteristics of bold, natural, elegant, and primitive patterns with a unique charm. It is often used for dresses, waist wraps, bed sheets, baby carriers, curtain valances, shoulder bags, hats, and fashion clothing. It has become a fashion sought after by domestic and international tourists and is an ever-flourishing gem among printing and dyeing products!
Perhaps someone may ask: why has batik been preserved and flourished in Xiangxi? According to historical records and folk legends, the origin and development of Xiangxi batik can be attributed to the following reasons: First, it reflects the cultural psychological orientation of the Miao, Dong, and other ethnic minorities. After migrating to Xiangxi, they missed their homeland and ancestors, held fast to the cultural forms brought from their homeland, and imbued them with the meaning of their ethnic history and culture, making them a symbol of ethnic pride and self-respect. Second, geographical factors: Xiangxi is remote, separated by mountains and rivers, and less influenced by external cultures, making it easy to maintain traditional cultural forms. Third, Xiangxi's humid climate and lush vegetation provide abundant raw materials for batik production.
The people of Xiangxi were originally skilled at spinning hemp and weaving cloth. The woven cloth could be dyed blue, red, yellow, and black using herbs such as polygonum indigo, safflower, gardenia, and Chinese gall. Miao batik has an especially long history. In the Song Dynasty, the "wax-dotted curtains" (batik) of the Wuxi region were already prevalent. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Miao people in the central Guizhou area also widely used batik clothing materials. In many places, the "Batik Song" (an ancient song) was popular, narrating the origin of batik:
Legend has it that in ancient times there was a beautiful Miao girl who was not satisfied with the single color of her clothes and always hoped to dye various floral patterns onto her skirt. But hand-painting them one by one was too troublesome, and she could not think of a good solution for the time being, so she was unhappy all day long. One day, while staring blankly at clusters of fresh flowers, she dozed off in her contemplation. In a hazy dream, a beautifully dressed fairy led her to a garden of a hundred flowers, filled with countless exotic flowers and rare herbs, birds singing and flowers fragrant, butterflies dancing and bees bustling. The girl looked and looked in the garden, utterly enchanted, not even noticing that bees had crawled all over her dress. When she woke up, she realized she had fallen asleep, but looking down, she saw that the bees from the flower clusters had indeed just flown away, and her dress was covered with spots of honey and beeswax. She had no choice but to put it into the indigo dye vat to dye the dress again. After dyeing, she took it to boiling water to rinse off the surface color. When she took the dress out of the boiling water, a miracle appeared: on the deep blue dress, beautiful white flowers had appeared where the beeswax had stuck! Inspired, the girl immediately found beeswax, heated and melted it, and used a tree branch to paint wax flower patterns on white cloth. She then put it into the indigo dye solution, and finally melted off the beeswax with boiling water. Various white flowers appeared on the cloth. Oh! Printed fabric had been created in the dye vat! The girl joyfully sang a mountain song. People heard her singing and came to her home to see the flowered skirt she had dyed. After returning home, everyone followed the methods the girl taught and also dyed various patterned fabrics. From then on, batik technique spread among the Miao people. In addition, there is a legend about Chiyou, the ancestor of the Miao people, whose wooden cangue after defeat turned into a maple tree; later generations used maple sap to paint patterns in commemoration, and the maple sap evolved into wax. Of course, legends are not history, but they reflect the mental journey of working people interpreting cultural phenomena.
Batik, as a special handicraft, has taken deep root in the lives of the people of Xiangxi. Since ancient times, on occasions such as sacrificial rites, festivals, wedding ceremonies, social gatherings, and cultural entertainment, batik clothing has been more elaborate and beautiful, interwoven with embroidery and cross-stitch work, creating a solemn, festive, and joyful atmosphere. Girls in these areas learn batik skills from their mothers from a young age. Their skill level and the quantity of their products are regarded as indicators of capability and diligence, and are important conditions for young men choosing a spouse. The quantity of batik, embroidery, and cross-stitch products is a symbol of wealth and poverty. Some girls, to display their wealth, wear several to over a dozen pieces of clothing including batik when they marry. In some places, during activities such as "flower-jumping" festivals, women not only wear their finest attire but also carry many items of clothing including batik to participate. It has become a creative activity with rich social connotations and a symbol of women demonstrating their abilities, serving as a bridge for women entering married life. At the same time, because many batik patterns have profound cultural deposits, people can also be edified by ethnic culture when using its products. In short, the vitality of folk batik is rooted not only in itself but also in the soil of people's daily lives and folk activities.
So, how exactly is batik made? Below, I will give you a brief introduction to the batik production process.
First, let me talk about the materials for batik: The fabric used for batik is generally homemade white homespun cloth, but machine-woven white cloth, cotton silk, and poplin are also used. The resist agent is mainly yellow wax (beeswax), sometimes mixed with white wax. Beeswax is a secretion from the wax glands in a bee's abdomen; it is insoluble in water but melts when heated. The dye is locally produced indigo. A local plant called indigo grass is used; the leaves are placed in a pit to ferment and become indigo. There are dye houses in rural markets that use indigo as dye, but some people also buy indigo and dye at home using dye vats. The tool for drawing wax flowers is not a brush but a homemade copper knife. This is because a brush dipped in wax cools and solidifies easily, while a copper knife helps maintain temperature. This copper knife is made of two or more thin copper pieces of the same shape, with one end bound to a wooden handle. The blade opening is slightly open with a hollow center to easily hold beeswax. Depending on the needs for drawing various lines, there are copper knives of different specifications, generally semicircular, triangular, axe-shaped, etc.
To put it plainly, batik is the technique of melting beeswax (yellow wax) and painting flowers on white cloth, dyeing it, then boiling it in water so that the wax is removed and the patterns appear. The production method is to lay the white cloth flat on a wooden board or table, place beeswax in a ceramic bowl or metal can, heat it over charcoal ash or chaff fire in a brazier to between 60°C and 70°C, melt the wax into liquid, and use a small copper knife dipped in the wax liquid to draw dots and patterns on the cloth. Generally, no preliminary sketch is made; the painting is done purely from conception, without rulers or compasses. The parallel lines, straight lines, and square or circular figures drawn can be folded to match perfectly. The flowers, birds, insects, and fish depicted are remarkably true to life and vivid. After painting, the wax temperature quickly drops and solidifies at around 20°C. If the wax temperature exceeds 70°C when painted on the cloth, the wax liquid immediately seeps outward, blurring the patterns. Miao women use this property for wax painting. Experienced practitioners determine the temperature entirely by observation; beginners find it hard to judge temperature by observation alone, so they place the cloth on their knees and rely on skin sensation to judge whether the temperature is suitable.
After painting, the fabric is immersed in dye. The method is to place the painted wax fabric into an indigo dye vat, and generally each piece needs to soak for five to six days. Before dyeing, a certain proportion of indigo and liquor is placed in the vat and mixed to ferment and produce color. After the first soaking, it is taken out and dried to obtain light blue. After soaking several more times, dark blue is obtained. If patterns of both light and dark colors are needed on the same fabric, after the first soaking, wax patterns are painted again on the light blue areas and dyed again; after dyeing, two shades of patterns appear. When the wax fabric is placed in the dye vat, some "wax seals" crack due to folding, producing natural cracks commonly called "ice patterns." Sometimes "ice patterns" are created intentionally as needed. These "ice patterns" often make batik patterns richer in layers and more naturally distinctive in charm.
Next is dewaxing. Before dewaxing, the fabric should be rinsed in cold water to remove surface dye, then placed in boiling water to melt the wax, and the residual wax liquid should be swished away in the boiling water. Finally, there is cleaning. The dyed fabric is washed in boiling water and cold water to remove surface dye, then dried.
In summary, the most critical step in batik is wax dotting, that is, wax painting. This is an important standard for measuring the artistic quality of batik and an important manifestation of the maker's creative ability. To create batik, one must first master copper knife technique, as well as the temperature of the molten wax and changes in the angle of the copper knife, in order to draw smooth, rounded, even, full, and highly elastic straight and curved lines and to dot various patterns such as circles and semicircular toothed patterns. Therefore, the drawing craft of batik also emphasizes ink interest like Chinese calligraphy, but it can also stand on its own with its unique and rich expressive power. Through the contrast between straight and curved lines, the combination of thick and thin, and the alternation of long and short, it creates artistic effects with a sense of depth, movement, and space. Watching them dot wax is a high artistic enjoyment.
Although traditional batik is not an independent artwork, it possesses the antiquity of bronze ornamentation, the boldness of Han dynasty bricks and tiles, the elegance of Song dynasty porcelain, the delicacy of Xiang embroidery, the simplicity of paper-cutting, and the splendor of brocade. Using cloth products as its carrier, it permeates daily life, especially folk activities, with accumulated historical and folk culture. It is plain and elegant, subtle and beautiful, full of rich rustic and folk flavor. Although some girls who make batik cannot clearly explain the meaning of the patterns they draw, saying only that "the elders painted it this way," batik, like other folk craft patterns, contains ancient cultural connotations, forming an ethnic "collective consciousness." Natural texture is the soul of batik art.
The beauty of batik is a beauty washed out through rinsing. Hang the dyed batik in the sun to dry: one piece after another hangs down from the high sky, the sun shining brightly on them, each unique flower seeming to come alive; and when the breeze blows, those hanging batik pieces dance beautifully, giving one the feeling of flying apsaras. As long as you stand before these hanging batik pieces, you can read their freshness, read the profound cultural deposits beneath their colorful patterns, read the nimble hands of the Miao, Yao, and Dong weavers who wove their tough texture, and read the dark hands and beautiful souls of the Miao, Yao, and Dong sons and daughters who painted and dyed those pure patterns.
Therefore, batik is both an ancient art and a young, modern art. Its concise and abbreviated forms, simple and bright colors, and exaggerated and transformed decorative patterns meet the needs of modern life and suit modern aesthetic requirements.