Chongqing — Traditional dyers from Chongqing and kapok growers in Yunnan province presented a joint project at the U.N. biodiversity conference in Armenia, showing how textile production can be linked with land restoration and the conservation of local plant resources.

Presented at the China Pavilion during COP17, held Oct. 19–30 in Yerevan, "Kapok Fiber Heritage · Plant Symbiosis" combines plant-dyeing techniques from Chongqing's Dazu district with long-staple kapok fiber from Kaiyuan, Yunnan.

Plant-dyed textiles and kapok paper on display at the Dazu plant-dyeing booth at COP17. (Photo/Dazu District)

From growing raw materials to turning plant residues into compost, the partners are developing a production cycle designed to make fuller use of each harvest while supporting the land that supplies it.

A Craft Returns to Its Roots

For Liu Ping, a fifth-generation plant-dyeing practitioner, the partnership is personal. Born in Kaiyuan, she is a descendant of Fu Zhi, who began cultivating and promoting the local kapok more than a century ago.

Liu Ping hand-embroiders in her studio. (Photo/Dazu District)

After developing her dyeing practice in Dazu, Liu returned to Kaiyuan with a technical team to apply those techniques to locally grown kapok and develop textile products.

According to the project team, the partners have established a living collection of kapok plants in Kaiyuan, numbering and documenting them to preserve their genetic resources.

On rocky ground with thin soil, the team says the plants' roots help hold loose earth in place. Herbs grown beneath them supply natural dyes, directly connecting the planting areas to the workshop.

One Harvest, Multiple Products

At the China Pavilion, the team displayed textiles and paper made from kapok fiber. They process longer fibers into fabric, while shorter fibers and lint separated during processing become paper.

International participants display the pieces they created during a plant-dyeing workshop. (Photo/Dazu District)

The dyes come from plant roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruit. Using a water-based extraction process, the team produces pigments that Liu applies through traditional techniques, including tie-dyeing, wax-resist dyeing and resist dyeing with carved clamping blocks.

The patterned fabrics are used in clothing, scarves, home textiles and decorative products, with handwork giving each piece variations in color and design.

The team also uses plant materials in several ways. Flowers supply pigments and ingredients for aromatic products, while remaining organic residues are composted and returned to the planting areas as nutrients.

According to the project team, developing textiles and paper from local kapok can provide an economic incentive to conserve the plants and continue growing them. Traditional dyeing adds value to the fiber, while composting returns plant residues to the soil.