County in N China's Hebei pursues innovative development of traditional plant dyeing technique

"This towel is dyed with leaves of isatis indigotica. It is eco- and skin-friendly and can be used as a baby towel," said Tian Haitao, an inheritor of the dyeing and weaving craft from Gaoyang county, north China's Hebei Province, during the sixth China Textile Intangible Cultural Heritage Conference held recently.

The Gaoyang plant dyeing technique goes through more than 10 steps, including reaping plants, fermenting, settling, dyeing and drying, and there are a number of dyeing methods involved, Tian explained, adding that the dyeing technique has been applied to various products, including towels, bed sheets and bathrobes.

Photo shows fabrics dyed with the Gaoyang plant dyeing technique in a studio in Gaoyang county, north China's Hebei Province. (Photo/Chinanews.com)

"Our products are twice as expensive as average products, but they sell well. Every year, my company sells more than 100,000 towels dyed with plants," he said.

The dyeing and weaving craft has been passed on for more than 400 years in Gaoyang. Today, one out of three towels sold in China is produced in Gaoyang, and the county has cultivated more than 10 provincial and municipal-level intangible cultural heritage projects.

Such achievements have been linked to the protection efforts made by local inheritors, which include learning the craft from elderly craftsmen to try to save the craft from vanishing, and looking for traditional weaving machines so that the craft of weaving textiles in a traditional way is not lost.

"Some traditional craft are fading away and we must protect them. Because learning the traditional craft can be boring and arduous, few young people can stay passionate in and committed to passing on the craft," Tian said.

To inject vitality into the traditional craft, Gaoyang county has established an intangible cultural heritage experience center and a textile museum.

"We've started conducting cultural heritage lessons into local primary schools to help the students cultivate an interest in the craft. We've also worked with the China National Textile and Apparel Council and Hebei University to promote innovative development of the cultural products," said Li Xiaohui, director of the Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau of Gaoyang.