Introduction of Nantong blue printed cloth

Nantong blue calico is a traditional handicraft printing and dyeing product of Han nationality in China. In the Song Dynasty, it was called medicinal patch, and in the Ming Dynasty it was called flower watering cloth. It is said that it was invented by Gui Xing, a native of Jiading (now Jiading District). Nantong is the main producing area of blue calico in China, and homespun and natural bluegrass are farmers' daily routine, so the blue calico dyeing workshops in Qianzhuang Houfang were once spread all over rural market towns. Blue calico is mainly used to make daily clothes, quilts, mosquito nets, pillowcases, wrapping cloth and so on. The pattern of blue calico is simple, beautiful and auspicious, with birds and animals, flowers and trees and myths and legends as the themes, such as: Five Blessingg (bat) holding longevity, Qing Ji Youyou (fish), lion rolling hydrangea, carp yue longmen and so on. In 2006, it was selected as a national intangible cultural heritage.