Batik Through The Globe: China

Batik production in China goes way back, dating to the sixth century. Although times have changed and the world has advanced to a more technological way of life, the art form is still practiced by minorities who live in the Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, south western of China such as Miao, Bouyei and Gejia. The Miao people particularly are known as H’mong because they have been migrating into neighbouring countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. These people place great priority on their traditional attire which include strong elements of batik.

Chinese batik has its own purpose. Although it was mainly turned into cloths for babies to be carried in, it also played a significant role on the pleated skirts of Miao women. The designs portrayed a story of their heroic ancestors who crossed the river valleys and landscapes of Central China 5,000 years ago. The story is represented through geometrical patterns, flora, fauna, rivers, landscapes such as mountains and multiple spiral designs.

Batik Design Tools and The Process.

Batik processes are without a doubt technical and involve a lot of detail and concentration. The H’mong ethnic minority show great expertise in the process of batik making. To achieve a specific shade of blue, beeswax, hemp and cotton are used together to form the base which is later mixed with a strong natural indigo paste made from leaves.

The beeswax is heated in a tiny pot, which rests on top of the embers of fire from burned wood. The tools used for applying the wax is called “ladao”, which is made from two small triangular pieces of metal bound to a bamboo holder with copper wire. Cotton fabrics are mainly used when making batik, but there are times when silk cotton and poplin are used as an alternative.

The batik process is started off by melting the beeswax until it turns completely liquid. The "ladao" is used to stipple the wax onto the cloth. The waxed cloth is then soaked in warm water, and placed into the indigo canister. The process is repeated several times to ensure the cloth is thoroughly dyed. Once the batik makers have washed the dyed cloth in the river, they will then put it in boiling water to remove excess wax on the cloth. Finally, the cloth is rinsed in clean water to uncover the beautiful deep blue and white patterns.

Left: Ladao, Right: Beeswax , Photo by Dlane Gaffney

Photos by Dlane Gaffney

Apart from the Miao group, the Zhuang ethnic minority have a different approach to batik making. They often go for a dyed-blue fabric with an unintentional 3-dimensional white flower blossoms which is drawn with much detail, it almost looks like it could be plucked. The process starts by bleaching the cloth, making it pasty-white as possible and once the cloth has dried out, hot wax is applied in the shape of a flower blossom.

Handmade products bring much more value and authenticity. It simply makes things more meaningful. It's unfortunate that these traditional textile skills are slowly dying out due to technological advances and the manufacturing of printed imitations of batik and embroidered clothes.