Why did Nantong blue printed fabric choose blue and white instead of other colors? And what is his symbolism?

Simple, primitive blue and white colors, creating a simple and natural, ever-changing, colorful blue and white art world. The patterns of the blue prints are from the folk, reflecting the people's delights, and sending their aspirations for a fulfilling life and simple aesthetic interests. In terms of subject matter and content, the people's wholesome and pristine mind is perfectly united in the form and content of the folk blue prints, and thus the blue prints do truly reflect a profound cultural and artistic accumulation.

The pattern of blue printed cloth is taken from the people's delightful folk stories and dramas, but more is made of plants and animals and flowers and birds combined into auspicious patterns, using metaphor, harmony, analogy and other techniques to express the folk people's ideals and beliefs of a better future, and therefore in the traditional folk customs, blue printed cloth occupies a considerable position. In the past, when a daughter got married, she had to bring along a rice sheet made of indigo cloth, which had been prepared by her mother long ago, and this custom was to show that the daughter, after marrying into a man's family, was able to "go up to the hall and come down to the kitchen" to manage the household. When a girl got married, there must be one or two pieces of blue calico quilts in the quilt box, most of which were "dragon and phoenix quilts" with the patterns of dragon and phoenix and phoenix playing peony, which were called "press box cloths". It can be seen that at that time, the blue printed fabric was essential in the life of the people.

The blue and white world is very beautiful!

Jiangsu and Zhejiang around the main production of blue printed cloth in Jiangsu Nantong area. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, Nantong, Jiangsu Province is China's cotton textile base, the printed blue printed cloth "clothing the world", Nantong blue printed cloth printing and dyeing techniques continue to this day to hand-spun, hand-woven, hand-dyed method of production of daily necessities, printing and dyeing patterns to plants and flowers and animal patterns, but also simple geometric shapes. It is loved by the general public for its dirt and wear-resistant, sturdy and durable, auspicious patterns, etc. It is famous for its harmonious blue and white beauty, full of rich local flavor, nature and freshness. Nantong is the key area for research, development and production of folk blue prints, and is known as the hometown of Chinese blue prints.

Blue printed cloth originated from Qin and Han Dynasties, and flourished in the commercially developed Tang and Song Dynasties. It is recorded in the volume of Ancient and Modern Book Integration: "Medicine Spot Cloth---use the cloth to wipe the gray medicine and elegant and simple. Dyed green, wait for drying, remove the gray medicine, then green and white, with figures, flowers, birds, poems in various colors, to fill the coverlet."

In the budding capitalism of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the medicine spot cloth has been widely popular among the people, so the "ancient and modern book integration" said: "medicine spot cloth commonly known as watering flower cloth, now where all have it." "Guangxu Tongzhou Zhi" records: "planting blue into beds, May mowed said the first blue, July mowed said two blue, glazed tile a pool of water, draw water into the lime, stirring a thousand times, bailing water, that is, into the indigo, used to dye the cloth, said the small cylinder green."

The style of blue printed cloth seen in modern times is mostly the work of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. These mosquito nets, quilts, wraps, turbans, curtains and other household items made of blue printed cloth, simple and generous, fresh and bright colors, simple and beautiful patterns, was very popular. Therefore, the dyeing industry once became a local industry. It is said that Tongxiang blue printed cloth was extremely prosperous at the time of Song and Yuan dynasties, forming a spectacular scene of looms everywhere, dyeing houses even on the street, and cloth boats weaving on the river, among which, the dyeing houses such as "Fung Tong Yu", "Tyson" and so on in Shimen (known as Yuxi in ancient times) became the leading ones in the industry for a while. Produced by the "Ruihe Mingxiang", "three friends", "plum bloom five rich", "durian bloom hundred children" and other prestigious.

Blue printed cloth can be generally divided into two forms of blue and white flowers and white blue flowers. The blue white flower cloth only need to use a flower plate printing, constitute the pattern of spots are not connected to each other, for example: plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum. The production method of the white blue fabric, commonly used two flower plate overprinting, printing the first time called "flower plate", printing the second time called "cover plate". The role of the cover plate is the connection point of the plate and the need to leave a white place to cover up, more clearly set off the blue pattern printing. Another method of printing blue flowers on white, is a separate printing plate lined with mesh, the pattern of the plate without every connection, carved with glue and paint will be glued to the plate in a large area of the mesh backing, and then scrape the printing paste. Some blue prints are still double-sided, which requires scraping the paste on the front side after drying, the use of copy tables on the reverse side to align the front pattern and then scrape the paste once more, so that after dyeing you can get double-sided blue prints.

Blue printed cloth is a kind of ancient hand-printed fabric which was widely popular in the folk of Jiangnan. Her simple and elegant cultural flavor, in China's folk art is unique, thousands of years under the fragrance of the charm of the Oriental culture.