What are the characteristics of textile printing and dyeing process in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties?

The fabrics of the Three Kingdoms and the Jin Dynasty and their processing directly inherited the foundation of the Eastern Han Dynasty. According to Xu Shen's Shuowen, more than fourteen colors can be dyed in the Eastern Han Dynasty. It can be seen from a large number of tapestries unearthed from Astana Tomb in Turpan, Xinjiang, that there are many colors such as red, crimson, pink, yellow, light chestnut, purple, sapphire blue, emerald blue, light blue, leaf green and white, and the colors are extremely rich.

During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Nanjing was famous for dyeing black. Dyed black silk is of high quality, which ordinary people can't afford to wear, and most of them are enjoyed by the rich. During the Jin Dynasty, there was a place south of Qinhuai River in Nanjing called Wuyi Lane. It is said that the nobles and scholars living in Wuyi Lane all wear black silk clothes. It was not until after liberation that the black silk produced in Nanjing was well-known at home and abroad.

In Qi Yao Min Shu, the working people's experience in planting bluegrass in China at that time was described in detail, and the method of making indigo with bluegrass was recorded in words for the first time. First cut the bluegrass upside down in the pit and put it into the water, then press it with wood and stone to let the bluegrass completely immerse in the water. The soaking time is "one night in hot weather and two nights in cold weather", and the soaking solution is filtered. Jia Sixie also summarized the technology of extracting dyes from safflower in "Qi Yao Min Shu". This technology was introduced to Japan during the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

During the Sixteen Kingdoms period, dyed silk (twisted valerian) was found; In the Northern Dynasties, Jiayu was also discovered. The former was unearthed in the 305 tomb in Astana, while the latter was unearthed in the 309 tomb in Astana.

Strangulation is a mechanical anti-dyeing method. Best suited for dyeing simple dots or stripes. The method is to sew the fabric to be dyed with thread according to the pre-designed pattern, tighten it, and then tie it with thread to form a summary of various styles; After impregnation, the thread is removed, and the knotted part presents an insufficiently colored pattern. This pattern has a unique flavor, and the edge of each flower naturally forms a halo from deep to shallow due to the infiltration of dye solution. The big pattern is called Valeriana foetida or Valeriana agate; Those with fine patterns are called Valeriana caviar or Valeriana officinalis. There are also relatively simple small cluster patterns such as butterflies, wintersweet and begonia. During the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the fabrics dyed with twisted valerian were mostly used for women's wear. Tao Qian described a story in the postscript of Looking for God. A young woman in a purple skirt looks like a sika deer from a distance. Obviously, this woman is wearing a dress with the pattern of "Valeriana foetida".

Because hank dyeing can make unique patterns at will as long as it is self-made, it was widely used in ancient times. Twisted Valerian products are also exported to West Asia through the Silk Road.

By the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Javalle process had reached a considerable production scale. According to legend, during the reign of filial piety in the Northern Wei Dynasty (at the beginning of the 6th century AD), there was a cloud in Xingyang, Henan Province, which bribed the imperial court at that time with 400 purple-patterned silks and won the title of secretariat of Anzhou. These printed silks are made by stencil printing. The production method of hollowed-out version is to carve hollowed-out on wood or hard paper soaked in oil according to the designed pattern. When printing and dyeing, apply dye or color paste to the hollowed-out place, and remove the hollowed-out version, and the pattern will appear.