Blue calico, which dates back more than 800 years, is a traditional blue-and-white-printed fabric in Nantong, a city in east China's Jiangsu Province. Blue calico is renowned for its simple, yet elegant, patterns, the striking beauty of its blue-and-white harmony and, especially, for its printing and dyeing being performed by hand. In 2006, Nantong's craft of blue-calico printing and dyeing was added to the first group of items on China's list of national intangible cultural heritage.
Time-Honored Treasure
"Indigo blue is extracted from the indigo plant, but it is bluer than the plant it comes from." That quote, extracted from Encouraging Learning, a Confucian classic, was written by Xunzi, a renowned philosopher during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). At that point in China's history, Chinese had mastered how to extract indigo from indigo plants. Later, Chinese used indigo to dye fabrics, such as cotton and linen.
Yaobanbu (ancient name of blue calico), which literally means herb-patterned cloth, originated during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). The fabric was divided into two forms — blue background with white patterns, or white background with blue patterns. The fabric's heyday was during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1616-1911) dynasties. During those dynasties, the fabric was popular in many regions of China, especially in the Yangtze River basin. At that time, it played an indispensable role in ordinary people's lives.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Nantong, a coastal city near the Yangtze River Estuary, was the best known of the areas that produced blue calico. Given its warm and humid climate, Nantong is suitable for the growth of both cotton and indigo plants. During ancient times, cotton and indigo plants were cultivated extensively in the Nantong area. At that time, nearly every household in rural Nantong had mastered the printing and dyeing skills. What they wore, such as clothes and scarves, and what they used, such as pillowcases, quilt covers, mosquito curtains and door curtains, were all made of blue calico.
In ancient China, the patterns of blue calico conveyed auspicious meanings, such as luck and good wishes. The patterns mainly included flowers, insects, birds and animals. Many of the current patterns were derived from the patterns used during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Some patterns have been innovatively derived from the traditional designs of paper-cuts, embroideries and wood carvings.
Exquisite Skills
The current craft of blue-calico printing and dyeing was derived primarily from the printing and dyeing skills used during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The preparation of materials, including weaving cloth and carving stencils, is the basis of making blue calico. Only tightly woven cotton cloth, with a smooth surface and pure-white color, can be used to make blue calico. Then, the artist will carve the pattern into a paperboard to make the stencil. Then, he/she will coat the stencil with tung oil to make it more durable.
Applying the paste and dyeing are vital steps in the process. The artisan will place the stencil on top of the cotton cloth, then he/she will use a scraper to apply paste on the pattern. As a result, the pattern will be printed on the cloth. The paste, made from water, soybean flour and lime powder, will prevent the pattern from being dyed blue.
Later, the artisan will prepare the dye vat with lime, indigo plants and other agents. Then, he/she will dip the cloth into the vat. The cloth will soak for about 20 minutes, then it will be taken out to air dry, which will allow the indigo to oxidize. This process will be repeated at least six to eight times. Blue calico will achieve different shades of color, such as light, medium, deep and dark blue, simply through the control of dye concentration and soaking times.
Finally, the artisan will scrape off the paste and use an acid solution to fix the color, and then he/she will wash the cloth, thoroughly, to remove any remaining paste and dye. Each step in the process is quite intricate, and each step requires the artisan's patience and exquisite skills.
Inheritance, Innovation
With the passage of time, blue calico has become an expression of cultural confidence for the Chinese nation, bearing witness to craftspeople's inheritance and innovation.
Wu Lingshu was born into a family of blue-calico craftspeople in 1988. Wu's family has been making blue calico in Nantong since the Qing Dynasty. She is the daughter of Wu Yuanxin, a national-level representative inheritor of Nantong's craft of blue-calico printing and dyeing. Wu Yuanxin has dedicated himself to the inheritance, protection and innovation of the craft for nearly 50 years.
Wu Lingshu studied design of arts and crafts, and the theories of intangible-cultural-heritage protection, during her undergraduate program at Beijing Institute of Technology. At the urging of her father, she decided to return to her hometown, after graduation, so she could begin learning the blue-calico printing and dyeing skills.
Wu Lingshu believes blue calico will only gain lasting vitality when it meets people's daily needs and, especially, when it becomes an integral part of their lives. As such, she has insisted on drawing her inspiration from traditional skills and patterns, while adapting them to meet the needs of modern people.
Wu Lingshu has transformed the traditional, single-sided printing into a double-sided printing, and that has greatly expanded the application of blue calico in high-end apparel and household products. She has also improved the dyeing process, which has resulted in the cloth having a rich layer of shades, from light to dark. In terms of materials, she has applied the craft to more fabrics, including silk, cashmere and flax yarn. Her silk cheongsam and scarves, with the use of blue-calico printing and dying skills, have been well received by young consumers.
Wu Lingshu has put considerable effort into her designs of patterns. She has conducted in-depth research into the composition and cultural symbolism of traditional patterns, and she has innovatively used geometric elements favored by youth.
Promotion at Home, Abroad
"The key to helping youngsters truly understand and appreciate traditional crafts lies in creating an appropriate educational environment, in which they can experience the craft," says Wu Lingshu.
As curator of Nantong Blue Calico Museum, Wu Lingshu has organized various activities to allow youngsters, especially primary and middle school students, to experience the carving of stencils, application of paste and dyeing the material. She has also promoted the development of cultural and creative products, with traditional blue-calico patterns, that appeal to people's modern aesthetic interests.
In recent years, Wu Lingshu and her team have participated in various cultural exhibitions, both at home and abroad. Their blue calico artworks have been showcased in more than 20 countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Russia and the United States.
"I will continue to uphold traditional craftsmanship, and I will also embrace the new era with innovation. I hope to make blue calico serve as a cultural bridge connecting the past and the future," Wu Lingshu concludes.
Photos from Interviewee
(Women of China English Monthly March 2026)
Editor: Wang Shasha
