Batik pattern

The theme of batik patterns in Guizhou mainly comes from the imitation of objects in the natural environment and the profound record and expression of national culture. From the classification of batik decorative themes in Guizhou, it can be divided into two categories: natural patterns and geometric patterns, and natural patterns can be divided into plant patterns and animal patterns.

Natural patterns include chrysanthemum, lotus, peach blossom, orchid, peony, pomegranate, gourd, sunflower, cockscomb, duckweed, water grass, fern flower, pepper flower, mountain flower and other plant patterns, and animal patterns such as cow, dragon, bird, tiger, lion, elephant, deer, dog, rabbit, chicken, mouse, phoenix and dragon. These themes come from the nature that Guizhou ethnic minorities are very familiar with, but they are not bound by the details of natural images in modeling, but have undergone bold changes and exaggerated artistic treatment. This change and exaggeration not only accurately convey the characteristics of objects, but also have high artistic generalization ability.

Ethnic minorities in Guizhou have lived between mountains and rivers for a long time, and the beautiful scenery of nature has brought them inspiration for artistic creation. Grass and wild flowers in the mountain stream, trees and fruits in the jungle are all their objects of expression, so they can create various plant and flower patterns with diverse themes and different styles. In batik printing in some areas, plant patterns are used together with animal patterns, while in other areas, plant patterns are the main ones. For example, the batik national handicrafts around the house are mostly small and deformed flower and leaf patterns, while the batik national handicrafts in the leather house also have a combination of bracken patterns and chrysanthemum patterns. The batik patterns of Liuzhi and Nayong Miao people are almost smooth and beautiful pictures composed of flowers and vines. The extensive use of various plants and flowers in batik printing in Guizhou not only often shows these plants and flowers in daily life, but also contains good wishes and hopes. In Danzhai and Sandu batiks, there are always many lotus flowers representing love, pomegranates symbolizing fertility and peaches symbolizing longevity around the fish and birds. Fruit trees are full of vitality, gourds contain new life, bean and rice patterns symbolize whole grains, and flower patterns symbolize youth.

On the banner of ancestor worship in Rongjiang, there is often a big tree at the top of the flag, which is a symbol of ancestor worship. Many Miao villages have several big maple trees, which are regarded as sacred trees by Miao people and become "mother trees" or "Baozhai trees", which is the protector of the whole village. "Shan Hai Jing Huang Da Nan Jing" says: "Chiyou abandons its shackles and regards it as a maple". Therefore, Miao people think that maple is the embodiment of Chiyou and the spirit of ancestors. Maple juice is red, and Miao people think that maple is the embodiment of Chiyou and ancestor spirit. Maple juice is red, which Miao people think is the blood of Chiyou. Miao ancient songs used a lot of space to describe the origin and function of maple: it "grows at home in heaven", "branches are all over the world" and it can "bloom thousands of flowers". It also turns everything into fish eggs, sawdust into bees, tree buds into moths, leaves into swallows, and tree hearts into mother butterflies. In some Miao areas, it is customary to use maple as the central pillar when building houses, because people there think that maple can be used as the central pillar to ensure the prosperity of future generations. The animal patterns of Guizhou batik mainly appear in Miao and Ge Jia batik national handicrafts, especially Miao people in southeastern Guizhou and southern Guizhou, who create mythical animal shapes according to animal prototypes in nature. However, these classic figures do not have a fixed image like the dragon and phoenix patterns of the Han nationality, but are ever-changing according to the imagination of Miao women.

Birds are the most common theme in Miao batik crafts, especially in Rongjiang, Sandu, Danzhai and other areas in southern Guizhou. Almost every batik national handicraft is inseparable from birds and has different shapes. In Danzhai batik national handicrafts, birds are often combined with butterflies and flowers, which are lively; In Rongjiang batik national handicrafts, the bird dragon pattern formed by the combination of bird head and dragon body is mysterious and strange. The prevalence of bird writing is related to the natural conditions of many birds in the mountains where Miao people live. Although the Han people also like birds, they mostly appreciate the beauty of their shapes or take their auspicious meaning, and do not give them the status of idols. The "mysterious bird" worshipped by merchants in ancient times has evolved into a phoenix through continuous development in Han culture, and gradually lost its worship of mysterious birds. However, in Miao culture, there are still totem worship concepts and behaviors similar to mysterious birds. Miao people "don't cry when they die, but laugh and dance loudly, calling them corpses." Next year, when they hear cuckoo birds, they will shut the door and cry, saying,' Birds disturb the old year and will never die again'. This is a scene where Miao people laugh and dance to celebrate the dead. If you hear the cuckoo's cry the next year, it is a sign that the dead have not become birds, so you should close the door and cry.

Dragon pattern is the most common pattern in Miao batik national handicrafts, and its manifestations are both concrete and abstract. The dragon pattern of Anshun batik is an abstract shape composed of curves, while the dragon of Rongjiang is mostly a figurative pattern of a bird's head and a snake's body. At the Drum Festival in Gaopai Village, Ronghua Township, every household should hold batik banners with long bamboo poles, with patterns such as bird dragons, ichthyosaurs and centipedes on them to express their ancestors' desire to become dragons and wish their descendants peace and happiness. Dragon is a symbol of the Chinese nation and an ancient totem. Through the gradual evolution of dynasties, the dragon has formed a solemn and dignified standard image and become a symbol of imperial power. However, minority women in Guizhou who live in an equal rights society still describe imaginary dragons according to their own understanding of life and aesthetic concepts. They think that dragons are snakes, eels, fish and buffaloes, which can keep the earth in good weather and keep its vitality. The dragon patterns on batik handicrafts in Guizhou are diverse, simple and natural, and have no specific shape, which is very different from the dragons in the powerful Han society and shows a strong sense of civilians.

Fish patterns and shapes can be seen in batiks all over Guizhou. Ge Jia's fish patterns are full and neat; The fish patterns in Danzhai interact with bird patterns and flower patterns, which are lively; The fish pattern of brocade batik national handicrafts has evolved into an abstract and complex curve shape. In Rongjiang batik, the fish was endowed with mystery and became a ichthyosaur. Fish is a kind of creature with the strongest reproductive ability. In ancient times, it has always been regarded by the people of the Central Plains as a symbol of having many children and grandchildren and a reproductive relic worshipped by them. Fish is closely related to the life of Miao people. Miao ancestors used to live in Dongting water town, and still maintain the habit of raising fish in rice fields, and there are still fish festivals in traditional customs. On the third day of the Drum and Tibetan Festival, all ethnic groups, men, women and children should wear hemp and dried fish to dance the "rice soup dance". Miao people think that there are many fish and many children, but after hemp cutting, they will come back to life, in order to pray that their ancestors will bless their offspring like fish cubs and be as rich as a tide. Miao wedding also has a ceremony to catch happy fish, hoping that future generations will multiply as fast as fish.

Butterfly is a very common pattern in Guizhou Miao batik national handicrafts, especially in Qiandongnan Prefecture, where butterfly patterns are the most concentrated and abundant. Some people face butterfly wings, butterfly bodies and bird feet, as well as various patterns, such as flowers and butterflies, birds and butterflies, and so on. In the batik patterns of Nayong and Liuzhi, the whole picture is almost composed of clouds of butterflies and flowers. There are many forms of butterfly modeling in Rongjiang batik. Generally, the big butterfly is the mother image, which protects everything from the outside, or is richly decorated in the outline. In the naive form, it shows great vitality. Butterflies have beautiful appearance and strong reproductive ability, which can be said to be completely in line with the Miao family's aesthetics, but the more important reason is that they worship butterflies as their ancestors. According to an old Miao song, after being born from a maple tree, Mother Butterfly fell in love with the foam on the spring water, became pregnant and gave birth to twelve eggs. Twelve years after the big bird Yu Ji hatched for her, Jiang Yang, the ancestor of human beings, and other celestial bodies, animals, plants, ghosts and gods were born one after another, and thus human beings and various creatures were born in the world. It can be seen that the butterfly pattern is an artistic embodiment of a primitive religious belief of Miao nationality.

Geometric patterns can be seen in batiks all over Guizhou, especially in Liuzhi, Qianxi, Zhijin and other Miao batiks in western Guizhou. Geometric patterns include cross pattern, Wan Ziwen pattern, sun pattern, star pattern, tic-tac-toe pattern, water ripple pattern, vortex pattern, bronze drum pattern, octagonal flower, horn pattern, palindrome and various square patterns, which are mostly handed down from ancestors. These patterns have ancient legends to show their memories of their ancestors. According to custom, this batik pattern cannot be changed at will. Although geometric patterns are only composed of points and lines, Miao women can point to these abstract patterns and explain what they depict. There is not only the clear meaning of a single pattern, but also the symbolic explanation of a combination pattern. The ancestors gathered and cultivated for survival and felt the unparalleled power of nature, so they worshipped nature. They carefully imitate natural objects, create abstractly, and entrust their feelings of loving life and their desire to pray and eliminate disasters. At the same time, the observation and understanding of animals from hunting to domestication also enabled them to create bird's eye pattern, bird's wing pattern, Tiger Claw pattern, cat's foot pattern, steed pattern and intestines pattern. Although it is a local simulation of natural images, most of these patterns have image colors beyond simulation due to their high abstraction and generalization. On the other hand, there are many geometric patterns with primitive witchcraft attributes, such as mountains and rivers, fields and hills, lakes and cities. These are all related to the life and development of their ancestors and the war migration, which is a memory of their ancestral homeland and a record of the migration route and process. The legends of "Wang Miao Yin", such as the tattoo on the back of a card, the tattoo on a bird's wing, the tattoo on a bird's eye, and the tattoo on a butterfly, are all incarnations or symbols of ancestors, and are symbols of animal worship and ancestor worship. Tonggu is an important cultural heritage of southern minorities. Since the pre-Qin period, it has a history of 3000 years. Used for sacrifice, entertainment, weddings and funerals, wars, time telling, etc. In many ethnic groups, it is regarded as a symbol of sacredness, rights and wealth. The influence of bronze drums has penetrated into almost every corner of social life, and its ornamentation has been the main theme of decorative batik art since the Song Dynasty. Many patterns in Guizhou batik national handicrafts can be found on bronze drums, such as the central patterns on the drum surface-sun awn pattern, concentric circles, sawtooth pattern, moire pattern, thunder pattern, line pattern, needle pattern, bird pattern, fish pattern, melon and rice, petals, leaves, Wan Ziwen, Shou Ziwen and spiral pattern. Some of these patterns remain unchanged in batik printing, but more often, they are formed into various shapes through different combinations and deformations according to the different aesthetic vision and expression techniques of the producers; With the development of the times, some batik patterns have been updated and changed.

Many shapes in batik crafts in Guizhou have been unable to verify their meanings. Batik patterns left by ancestors, passed down from generation to generation by Miao women, have been completely internalized in their thoughts and integrated into their aesthetic concepts. What they hand-painted is imaginative artistic modeling, which makes us admire and admire. When asked what she painted or why she painted like this, it was difficult for them to answer. It is very difficult to understand these shapes. In order to get artistic inspiration from China's simple and interesting designs, we must master a strange language and way of thinking again and devote ourselves to another world far away from our times. Guizhou batik national handicrafts, both in modeling and composition, embody the plump and complete aesthetic concept of minority women. From the modeling point of view, the geometric patterns, animal patterns and plant patterns in Miao traditional batik technology all conform to the principle of perfect form. For example, in some Miao batik crafts in Rongjiang and Sandu, animals have ears, eyes and feet on their heads, whether viewed from the front or from the side. Sometimes internal structures are added to the outline of animals, such as the intestines in the abdomen of animals and the bones of fish. Miao women will not pursue perspective effect when creating, but strive for the integrity of the body, even if the proportion is out of balance, they should make the shape look perfect and complete. In batik pattern modeling, they also require perfection, such as the geometric pattern of "nest mining" on the shoulders of white-collar seedlings, which is full and smooth. On the overall structure of patterns, Guizhou minority women skillfully combine various animal patterns, plant patterns and geometric patterns by using symmetrical composition, central composition, divided composition or scattered composition to form various composite and intermediate shapes. The whole picture is harmonious, lively and imaginative.

Batik patterns in many areas of Guizhou have stylized theme treatment and composition methods. Whether it is the outline of modeling or the combination of patterns, it is basically completed according to a unique program form of the nation or the branch. Judging from the content and theme of batik, whether it is the changing flowers, birds, fish and butterflies in Danzhai or the mysterious dragons in Rongjiang, they all have their specific legends and beliefs, and they all have fixed patterns and images. From the form of composition, it also reflects the characteristics of stylization, and there are often corresponding composition forms according to different purposes. Rongjiang Batik and Ping Huang Batik rely on the inherent patterns for composition even when lighting wax. Therefore, there are obvious differences in modeling composition among different nationalities, branches and regions. For example, the batik quilts and sheets in Danzhai are basically a symmetrical combination of up and down or left and right, and at the same time have the characteristics of dispersion. The composition of Anshun batik national handicrafts is basically multi-layered in the center, which is more rigorous. Comparing Guizhou batik technology in different times, we can find that after several generations or even dozens of generations, the basic law of composition is almost unchanged everywhere, because this stylized schema is the product of the collective aesthetic significance of workers, so it has a very strong inheritance.

Guizhou batik technology also fully embodies the successful application of pattern modeling. Guizhou minority women are good at guiding the situation. First, they arrange a large layout structure, and then design new graphics in the constantly generated gaps. All kinds of graphics adapt to each other and penetrate each other, and finally the patterns will be all over the screen. When they design, they regard each picture as an independent space, and the graphics designed with modeling are full and creative. For example, when the Miao women in Danzhai point wax, they first draw a figure on the cloth at will. After a figure appeared, they drew a second figure in the blank. After the second figure is finished, they draw a third figure in the remaining space. Every time the remaining blank is some new irregular shapes, which brings difficulty to the design of new shapes and provides imagination space. Miao women can always design new patterns according to new shapes and fill in the blanks with appropriate graphics. Another example is Rongjiang batik long banner, the central pattern is a winding dragon. Small patterns, such as dragons, birds, frogs and swimming fish, are randomly filled in the arc areas formed on both sides of the dragon body. The wings and fish bodies of birds are deformed or flowers and leaves are added to adapt to the area to be filled. So they don't need to accurately calculate the area occupied by the pattern, but improvise and be unique. This unrestrained and free creative method makes Guizhou batik handicraft patterns vivid and orderly.

Guizhou batik patterns pay great attention to visual order in organization, and deal with different images in a diverse, unified, neat and balanced way, and each pattern takes care of the overall effect. The coordination of point, line and surface, the proper use of artistic techniques such as selection, exaggeration and exquisiteness make Guizhou batik process colorful, fresh and lively, and extremely infectious. For example, Nayong batik national handicrafts, whose decorative patterns are composed of many arcs and facets, have a strong sense of movement and sharp contrast, and are a model of combining lines and surfaces. Ping Huang Ge Jia batik is characterized by the combination of dots and lines, and the effect is neat and fine. According to their own aesthetic habits, Guizhou minority women have re-summarized and rearranged all kinds of utensils through artistic techniques such as material selection, refinement and exaggeration, and created the most distinctive artistic shapes. For example, the bird pattern in Danzhai batik emphasizes the fat bird body and abandons the bird wing pattern. There are often exaggerated bird eyes in Rongjiang batik crafts. In Nayong batik, the extremely abstract shapes of fish and birds are the overall generalization of the original form.

Guizhou batik technology also shows the desire for nature and humanization. Minority women also add, transform, decompose and reconstruct objects according to their own knowledge and understanding, and then shape their images more idealized. They don't stick to the imitation of nature, and they don't insist that patterns conform to objective forms and proportions. Instead, they have their own hobbies, freely use their imagination, refine and summarize objective things, or recreate their images, thus creating various patterns that fit. In Guizhou batik arts and crafts, there are often some exotic flowers and plants recombined with the structure of the object, or other elements are added to the object to make its characteristics clearer, its image more beautiful and form an interesting sense of form. For example, Danzhai and Sandu batiks, Miao women turn bird crowns into flowers and chicken bodies into fish bodies. Although these shapes violate the laws of nature, they make the picture lively, interesting and naive.

Although Guizhou batik handicrafts are usually only blue and white, they are rich in layers because of the proper use of various artistic means, reasonable layout, rigorous structure and proper movements, which get rid of the limitations brought by monochrome. These patterns have been passed down and perfected by minority women from generation to generation, which has improved the aesthetic level of the whole nation and is the crystallization of their free creation and wisdom. Guizhou batik handicraft is a romantic art, and the batik patterns used implicitly express the thoughts and feelings of the creators. They hope to occupy their beauty and aura by using animal and plant patterns in their modeling. For example, the application of bird pattern is not only out of appreciation of its dexterous bodybuilding form, but also out of envy of its ability to fly freely. Through the vivid description of various bird images, the creator's feelings, emotions, wishes and demands are expressed and conveyed in this square inch. Guizhou batik patterns also show the creator's fantasy of the advantages of various animals and plants, which are magical but not bound, hoping to make up for what his body and ability can't reach. Such as butterfly, dragon, tiger and fish. , the most direct expression of this consciousness. The selection of animal and plant themes in Guizhou batik technology not only pays attention to external beauty, but also considers its meaning, which is related to people's personality. If dragons can protect villages and people, butterflies are the ancestors of the nation, concubine birds are beautiful and kind, fish and shrimp represent abundant food, frogs and toads represent abundant crops, tigers are brave and good at fighting, cows are hardworking, and dogs, monkeys, cats, rats and rabbits are smart and lively. As for the combination mode of animals, plants or people. If people combine with things, animals with plants, and things switch with each other, it will show the mutual communication and help between people and animals, plants and nature. Due to the different regions of Miao nationality, the meanings of patterns are also different: the Miao nationality in southeastern Guizhou compared butterfly patterns and bird patterns to primitive totems; Miao people in Nayong, Shuicheng, Liuzhi and other places in Guizhou compare butterflies to beautiful symbols; The bird patterns of Zhijin, Puding and Pingba Miao are symbols of reproductive life.

Guizhou batik pattern is a graphic annotation of Guizhou national history and culture. They choose images that can represent beautiful things, and all these are based on a series of theories, such as myths, historical songs, legends and stories. Explain the origin of their choice of these themes, and also reflect their customs and aesthetic concepts. When minority women make batiks, the atmosphere of myths and legends has hinted at some kind of psychological consciousness, which has some kind of mindset and value orientation derived from inner certainty. In Miao batik patterns, there are legends that maple trees and butterflies are ancestors of Miao people, there are legends that Yuji birds help butterflies hatch everything, there are legends that dogs choose rice seeds for people, and there are legends that Jiang Yang's brothers and sisters get married and breed human beings. It is these myths and legends that enrich the content of Miao batik, just as most paintings in the Western Renaissance originated from biblical themes. Without the nourishment of these myths and legends, Guizhou batik will be eclipsed.

In Guizhou Miao batik patterns, there are many themes describing the social history of Miao ancestors, such as Yellow River, Yangtze River, Plain and City, which vividly describe the tragic migration history of Miao ancestors, so Miao batik patterns are known as "wordless history books". These patterns are regarded as the historical display and inheritance of national illustrations. During the long migration process, the gradually separated Miao groups rely on these patterns to remember their cultural ties and educate future generations not to forget their ancestral homes. Therefore, this generation of Miao people, not only the living cherish them, but also the dead must wear the shroud with these patterns before they can be buried. Only in this way can the souls of the deceased return to their ancestral homes. These models have played an important role in cultivating national consciousness and maintaining national individuality. For the nation without writing, it plays the role of cultural symbol and has historical understanding value.

Among the ethnic minorities in Guizhou, clothing patterns are the first objects that people recognize in communication. Traditional dress patterns often have special significance and strong national cohesion, and to some extent, they play a role in embodying group consciousness, identifying with national culture and coordinating national management. Ethnic minorities in Guizhou, especially Miao people, have suffered frequent disasters in history. After repeated wars and migrations, their survival depends entirely on the spirit of helping each other. Only the strength of the group is the condition to preserve the survival of the individual, so the ethnic minorities in Guizhou pay special attention to the unity of ancestors, clans and branches and the unity of action. Clothing with the same style, the same pattern and the same theme must be unconditionally accepted by people in this national culture, just as one cannot choose one's parents. As the Miao song goes, "Wear the same cloth, wear the same skirt, do the same job, we unite the place, we unite the village, we take a road, we take a bridge, we twist our heads to one side and stand together."

The important identification function of national costume patterns makes some nationalities and branches "only recognize clothes but not people" in their marriage choices, religious beliefs and foreign exchanges. Some branches of the Miao nationality are not even willing to intermarry with Miao people with different costumes, preferring to look for Miao people with the same costumes in dozens or even hundreds of unexpected yards. Because of this, Miao women can pass on their costumes intact from generation to generation, so that batik and other production skills can be passed down from generation to generation. Although the production process is complicated and trivial, although they don't fully understand the meaning and context of the patterns, they are still very devoted to weaving and dyeing, which reflects their recognition and respect for ethnic groups and branch cultures.

With the continuous exchange of national cultures, Han patterns have also been introduced into Guizhou in various ways, but they have not been accepted and loved by all ethnic groups in Guizhou. Many patterns of batik in Guizhou are from Chinese culture. For example, there are traditional patterns of bats, pomegranates, birds, clouds, Shou Ziwen, Wan Ziwen and other cultures in Danzhai batik. Anshun batik national handicrafts have been basically sinicized, and it is difficult to find traces of Miao traditional culture in mature patterns.