Chinese Folk Art Chinese Knotma's History Seek Help Thanks.

Chinese knot, known as the Chinese traditional decorative knot, is the Chinese nation popular thousands of years of hand-woven works of art. It began in ancient times, flourished in the Tang and Song dynasties, flourished in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and is revitalized today.

Each basic knot of the Chinese knot is made of a rope from the beginning to the end, and each basic knot is named because of its shape and meaning, such as the "long knot", "algal well knot", etc. The combination of different basic knots, with ornaments, becomes a work of art that is rich in culture, expresses the good wishes, and has an exquisite and gorgeous form.

The twisting and tying of ropes are called knots, and their functions are to tie, tie, bind, tie, connect and block; to make two ropes into one rope, to make a rope into a ring, and to make a single rope into a block. The history of the knot is almost as long as human history, as early as the ancient times, primitive man is still in the state of survival, when they picked grass, rattan, bamboo, twisted cross, used to wear the system, tie the fruit, prey, the most primitive knots on the production.

Ancient knots in addition to practical, but also bear the important mission of recording history, "Yi - the Department of Rhetoric," recorded: "the ancient rope and rule, after the saints easy to the Book of Deeds." The meaning is that the earliest is to use the rope knot to remember things, the later sages with the text instead, when "big things big knot its rope, small things small knot its rope", the rope knot is very sacred, the society and life at that time played an important influence and role.

The simple and practical function of the knot and the sacred function of remembering things have gradually aroused people's aesthetic concern in the long-term social practice, and the knot has increasingly enhanced its aesthetic connotation. The rich knot decorations on the pottery of the Neolithic Age, showing various kinds of rope entanglement, interspersed, twisted state that is the spirit of the knot, the knot's imagery of the portrayal. Once this spirit or imagery rose to prominence, it developed into the aesthetic aspect of knot decoration.

Spring and Autumn and Warring States period, the knot has got rid of the practical "tie", with a relatively independent aesthetic posture into the field of decoration. In the Spring and Autumn period, on the bronze double-dragon pattern ampoule, the decorative pattern and the double-dragon pattern were combined into a pattern with specific cultural meaning and aesthetic interest of the times. This shows that the practical imagery of the knot and the deep emotion of the craftsmen for the knot have been fused and developed into a unique decorative conception and apt and natural decoration of the vessel. The knot is not only used for the decoration of the vessel, but also applied to people's clothing and jewelry. Ancient people used to dress in "wide clothes", in order to make the clothes close to the body, keep warm, it is necessary to rely on the clothing belt tied and knotted. In the clothing of the ancients, the knot style is very rich, there are binding service knot, there are also decorative knot. Beautiful knot has formed an important part of the Chinese classical clothing beauty with one.

The Tang and Song dynasties is an important period in the development of culture and art in China, during this period, the Chinese knot was used in a large number of clothing and artifacts, was a clear trend of the rise of the Tang Dynasty bronze mirror with two warblers in the concentric knot pattern, the Song Dynasty, the lion rolled the embroidered ball of the brick carvings, are vividly reproduced at that time the application of the Chinese knot and the development of the Chinese knot.

Ming and Qing Dynasties, China's knotting skills have developed to a high level, in many daily necessities, such as sedan chair, curtains, lamps, tent hooks, folding fans, belts, hairpins, flower baskets, neck pendants, incense bags, purses, cigarette packs and so on, can be seen in the beautiful decorative flower knots. Their many styles, elaborate color schemes and ingenious names dazzle the eye and make one marvel from the bottom of one's heart.

Over the long years, knot-tying has been widely circulated in folklore as an important craft in women's red, however, with the rapid development of industrial civilization, as well as changes in social patterns and lifestyles, knot-tying, like many other historical heritages and traditional skills, has slowly been neglected and forgotten. However, when people try to return to nature and look for the lost meaning of human feelings, they will find that there are many traditional skills that are worth studying, researching and tasting. Chinese knotting is not only a display of beauty and skillful structure, but also an expression of natural spirituality and humanism. Behind its "time-consuming and labor-intensive", there is a simple and natural sentiment, an affinity for human beings, and an artificial ingenuity that can never be replaced by machines, which makes the inheritance and development of traditional Chinese knots valuable and meaningful. Origins The Chinese knot, the sentiment and wisdom shown on it is exactly a cultural knowledge in the ancient Chinese civilization; it is a metaphor of human generations' reproduction; it is also a game presentation of mathematical mysteries.　It has complex and delicate curves, but can be reduced to the simplest two-dimensional lines. It has a flowing and elegant flavor, and comes from the basic tools of human life in the beginning of time. Chinese knots began with the knotted ropes used by the ancestors to keep track of things.1, knotted ropes to keep track of things 1, knotted ropes to keep track of things

The knotted ropes that people often discuss to keep track of things are in fact another important role that "knots" have had in the history of human development. According to the "Yi - Department of Rhetoric", "the ancient knot rope and rule, the sages of later generations to the Shu Muqi." Zheng Xuan of the Eastern Han Dynasty said in his "Notes on the Zhou Yi", "The knotting of a rope is a record, and when things are big, big knots its rope, and when things are small, small knots its rope." It can be seen in the ancient Chinese land, "knot" was given by the ancestors of the "deed" and "about" the legal ideological function, but also the role of recording historical events. "The knot is therefore highly respected by the people.

Thousands of years have passed since the beginning of time, and human beings have experienced the baptism of knots and oracle bones, pens and paper, lead and fire, light and electricity. Now, in the square inch of the laptop, touch the keyboard, the history of the next five thousand years can be in front of you. A small colored rope has long been a tool for people to remember, but when it is tied into a variety of knots, but the resurrection of an ancient and beautiful legends. 2, in a thousand knots Song Dynasty lyricist Zhang Xian wrote "heart like a double silk net, in a thousand knots". It describes the state of a girl's heart after a breakup, when she misses the old man and gets tangled up in her thoughts. In classical literature, "knot" has always symbolized the entanglement of young men and women, human emotions are so colorful, "knot" is so varied.

"Knot" has been endowed with a variety of emotional desires by sentimental people in the long process of evolution. To knot meaning, in the Chinese language, many of the important things with centripetal polymerization almost all use the word "knot" as a metaphor, such as: the knot righteousness, association, worship, alliance, unity, etc. The marriage between a man and a woman is a big deal. And the marriage between men and women, are also "knot" expression, such as: marriage, hair, marriage, union and so on. Knot is the beginning of things, there is a beginning, there is an end, so there is a "result", "end", "end". "Concentric knot" since ancient times has become a token of love between men and women to express the oath of eternal love, and "embroidered belt with a happy knot, brocade clothes Lianliwen", the knot has been recognized by the folk is up to the emotions of the fixed love thing. And the "married couple" also originated from the ancient cave night, men and women each take a handful of long hair knot to swear eternal love behavior, a poem "cross silk knot dragon and phoenix, openwork color knot clouds, an inch of the same heart strand, a hundred years of long life flower" is a vivid depiction. 3, the knot of clothing

Let's take a look at the 5,000-year history of Chinese costumes. From the pioneers to civilian knots coiled into an "S" shape decorated at the waist, after the Zhou "ribbon", the North and South Dynasties, "the waist of the double belt, dreaming of concentric knots" to the Shengtang "Ribbon" in the Zhou Dynasty, "two beautiful belts around the waist, dreaming of concentric knots" in the North and South Dynasties, "silk ribbons" in the Sheng Tang Dynasty, "jade ring ribbons" in the Song Dynasty, and "disk buttons" on the cheongsam in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, as well as heirloom purses (scented sachets), jade pendants, fan pendants, hairpins, etc., have shown that Other Chinese arts, such as the use of forms, harmonies and take its meaning, such as the "auspicious knot", "exhausted knot", "fish knot" combined to become "auspicious celebrations The combination of "auspicious knot", "exhausted knot" and "fish knot" becomes the knot jewelry of "auspicious celebration", and the "bat knot" together with the "money knot" can be composed of "blessing in front of eyes" and so on. By analogy, it has been extended to "longevity and well-being", "abundance of wealth", "reunion", "happiness and auspiciousness

Chinese knots are also regarded as a kind of magic objects that can ward off evils and disasters, suppress evils and bring good fortune, and protect yin and yang with their effects, such as the "auspicious knot"

Chinese knots are also regarded as a kind of magic objects that can ward off evils and disasters, suppress evils and bring good fortune, and protect yin and yang with their effects, such as the "auspicious knot". Such as "lucky knot", "disk long knot" and so on, this kind of "knot" as a talisman cohesive mystical religious concepts, in the folk to be widely used, and the formation of a certain inheritance mechanism. This is probably the reason why the "knots" are widely used in folklore and form a certain inheritance mechanism. This is probably one of the reasons why the culture of "knot" is so alive and well.6. Fashionable knots 6. Fashionable knots

Chinese knots are mostly in the form of a complete shape with the same top and bottom, left and right symmetry, front and back, and the head and tail can be connected to each other. A few feet long colorful rope through the ò, knot, wear, winding, winding, braiding, pumping and other craft techniques, strictly in accordance with certain chapters of the cycle of coherent, continuous compilation and become.

Nowadays, people who are skillful with their hands have seen the ingenious charm of this oriental culture and redefined it as a necklace, bracelet, earrings, headdress, hairpin, and other such clothing accessories, to give full play to its independent value as an elegant accessory. Historical Evolution Chinese knots are as easily recognized by foreigners as Chinese paintings, calligraphy, carvings, ceramics and dishes, which shows the representativeness of Chinese knots to the Chinese nation.

Chinese knotting is a unique folk art of hand-knitting in China, which fully reflects the wisdom of the Chinese people and its deep cultural heritage with its unique oriental charm and colorful variations. In the process of Beijing's bid to host the Olympic Games, the Chinese knot, as a symbol of traditional Chinese culture, was loved by friends from all over the world.

Chinese people learned to tie knots quite a long time ago. One of the main reasons why knots are so important is also because they are a very practical technique. This can be seen in many historical materials and traditional customs: the earliest records

As early as the end of the Paleolithic period, that is, Zhoukoudian Shanding Caveman culture in the remains of the existence of "bone needles" have been found. Since there are needles, then there must be a rope, so it is inferred that the simple knotting and sewing technology should have been prototype. 1, the predecessor of the written word 1, the predecessor of the written word

Yi system of rhetoric: "the ancient rope to remember the matter, the later generations of the sages easy to the book of the deed," and Zheng Xuan Zhou Yi and the note that; "big things big knots their ropes, small things small knots their ropes," and the number symbols in the warring states on the bronze are still on the symbols of the shape of the knotted rope, from the shape of the knotted rope, the knotted rope, the knotted rope, the knotted rope. The shape of the knot, from these historical data, the knot was indeed used as an aid to memory, can also be said to be the predecessor of the written word. 2, wearing habits 2, wearing habits

1) clothing

The earliest clothing does not have today's buttons, zippers and other accessories, so if you want to tie the clothes, you can only rely on the sash will be tied in knots this method.

2) Jade Pendant

The Chinese have always had the habit of wearing jade, and through the ages jade pendants have been made in the form of Jade Juan, Jade Long, and Jade □, etc. On them, there are small circles drilled. They were drilled with small round holes so that they could be passed through the threads and tied to the clothes. In addition, there is also a complete set of jade pendants, is a combination of several different kinds of jade pendants into a long string, and the method of linking is of course not by threading the rope and knotting.

3)Application

Indian button and mirror button

Ancient people had the habit of hanging the seal supervisor in the body, which is more than the Han seal that has been handed down to the square with the seal button. And ancient bronze mirror back center are cast with mirror button, can tie rope in order to hold. From these two places it is not difficult to see, the knot in ancient China in the application of life is quite extensive.

Concentric Knot

Ancient people liked to express their love for each other by braiding the brocade belt into a chain of iambic pentameter-style knots, which was beautifully called the concentric knot. In the poem of Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty, there is a saying: "The two beautiful ribbons around the waist are dreamed to be knots of the same heart", and in the music of the Tang Dynasty, there is still the name of the phrase "knot of the same heart".

4) Women's decorations

The scroll of "The Lady's Guide" painted by Gu Kaizhi, a great painter of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, reflects the social situation at that time quite realistically, and we can understand one of the spots of women's decorations at that time from the painting. For example, on the belts of the women in the painting, there are simple bows with a single wing as a practical decoration. In addition, in the mural paintings of the tomb of Princess Yongtai in the Tang Dynasty, the knot on the waistband of one of the ladies was already what we now call a bow. By the Qing Dynasty, knots were already regarded as an art, with many styles and ingenious patterns. At that time, the use of knots as decorations was quite extensive, and beautiful decorative knots were often woven underneath the small and large articles in daily life, such as palanquins, curtains, tent hooks, shoulder pendants, flute pipes, incense bags, hairpins, necklaces, eyeglasses pouches, and tobacco pouches, which were often auspicious. 3. The Modern Era: The Art of Knotting By the Qing Dynasty, knots had developed to a very high level, with both styles and patterns of knots. By the Qing Dynasty, rope knots developed to a very high level of sophistication, with many styles and clever names, simply treating such beautiful decorations as works of art. In the thirty-fifth chapter of the Red Mansion by Cao Xueqin, which is titled "White Jade Chuan Tastes Lotus Leaf Soup, Golden Ying Knots Plum Blossom Loop," there is a passage describing the conversation between Baoyu and Ying'er about knotting a lozenge (the lozenge is one of the knots), which explains the use of knots at that time, the mixing of decorations and knots with Yenba's, as well as the names of the knots' styles, etc. The knot's use at that time could be considered as an artwork. Knot for the use of the time can be big, such as friends and relatives to celebrate the gift of the Ruyi, pieces are decorated with intricate and varied knots and tassels. The daily objects such as palanquins, window boxes, tent hooks, fan pendants, flutes, incense bags, hairpins, necklaces, eyeglass pouches, tobacco pouches, and wind towns underneath the scrolls of paintings and calligraphy, etc., were also decorated with beautiful knots, and sometimes these knots had other auspicious meanings. 4. Present Chinese Knotting Since the Republic of China (R.O.C.), due to the importation of a large number of western concepts, such as science and technology, the original social patterns and lifestyles of China have undergone significant changes. Since the Republic of China, due to the massive importation of western concepts such as science and technology, the original social form and life style of China have undergone significant changes, coupled with the fact that many inherent cultural heritages have not been preserved and promoted, so that many of the traditional cultures and skills with low practical value and time-consuming and laborious production have gradually declined, and have even disappeared in the society that is constantly transforming towards modernization. One of the best examples is the traditional Chinese art of knotting. Another reason for the decline of the art of knotting is that the material it uses, whether it is made of animal fibers or plants rolled into a rope, are subject to the innate conditions of the limitations of the end can not withstand the physical and chemical erosion over the years, and can not be handed down to future generations for a long time, and now can be found attached to the artifacts on the knots, the oldest is only a relic of the Qing Dynasty.