Indigo Blue

The history of indigo blue dates back to the pre-Qin period, with records of indigo plant gathering already appearing in the Book of Songs. Early people discovered that leaves of plants like Polygonum tinctorium and Strobilanthes cusia could release pigment after water soaking and fermentation, a discovery that inaugurated three millennia of indigo dyeing civilization in China.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, indigo cultivation and dyeing techniques had become quite mature. Jia Sixie's Essential Techniques for the Welfare of the People from the Northern Wei dynasty documented the indigo-making process in detail, and indigo blue became the most common clothing color for ordinary people—undyed blue cloth garments were the most widespread daily attire of that era.

The Tang and Song dynasties witnessed the zenith of the indigo dyeing and weaving industry. Large-scale indigo plant cultivation bases emerged in the Jiangnan region, the craft of blue calico matured, and resist-dyeing techniques such as clamp-resist and wax-resist dyeing combined perfectly with indigo, creating endlessly varied pattern art.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, regional indigo dyeing techniques flourished across the land. Nantong blue calico, Miao wax-resist dyeing, Dali tie-dye, and other regional styles each developed their own distinctive characteristics. Indigo blue became the most representative color symbol of traditional Chinese folk craftsmanship, deeply imprinted in the bloodline of agrarian civilization.