"Yang Family's Knot-making Skill" is to use strips to make all kinds of flower knots with practicality and beauty. This hand-woven handicraft can be traced back to ancient civilization, and it is still popular in Jiangbei District in Chongqing.
The exquisite pendant uses Yang Family's Knot-making skill. (Photo/ Jiangbei Convergence Media Center)
The inheritors of "Yang Family's Knot-making skill" constantly collect and sort the existing flower knots in Jiangbei District and apply them to cultural products, such as rope jewelry and tourist souvenirs. It has been rated as the eighth batch of intangible cultural heritage in the Jiangbei District in 2021.
The inheritor makes the cultural product. (Photo/ Jiangbei Convergence Media Center)
In China, people usually call knitting the "Chinese knot," which has different shapes, such as flowers, birds, dragons, fish, and shoes. The Chinese knot is a kind of hand-woven handicraft that shows the exquisiteness and wisdom of ancient Chinese people.
The history can be traced back to the ancient civilization's knotted notes, which were used to record quantities and things before the appearance of writing.
The "rope knot" became a kind of ritual record in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220). The historical archive indicates that people at that time had used the method of knotting a rope to record or manage events. When it comes to big things, make a big knot, small things make a small one, and connected things make a chain knot.
As ornaments, people love all kinds of knot ornaments. The people of the Zhou Dynasty (1050-221 BC) wore jade wares with them. There are also patterns of "knots" on bronze wares of the Warring States Period (239 BC).
Continuing to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), "rope knots" became a popular decorative art among the people, and beautiful "rope knots" were often hung on large and small items in daily life.
Chinese knot. (Photo/ Jiangbei Convergence Media Center)
Today, weaving techniques are widely used in decorative objects. But very few people can stick to this knot-making craft.
There are also a variety of knot styles, such as double money knots, button knots, and auspicious knots.
Different knots have different meanings. (Photo/ Jiangbei Convergence Media Center)
The weaving of "Chinese knots" has to go through the process of weaving, tying, and refining. The weaving methods of various knots are fixed, but "tying" can decide the tightness of the knot, the length of the ear wings, and the smoothness and neatness of the lines, which can fully demonstrate the editor's artistic skills.
"Refine" is the final modification of the knot, such as beading, sizing, and other traditional "Chinese knots" are usually accompanied by the tassel. The overall look will be more complete.
In addition to cotton, linen, silk, nylon, and leather threads, the knotted ornaments can be matched with metal wires such as gold and silver, thus enhancing the scope of application of the "Chinese knot."
The cultural product. (Photo/ Jiangbei Convergence Media Center)
In recent years, "Chinese style" has become popular, and "knot" means unity, happiness, and peace. Weaving is no longer a simple inheritance. It also integrates people's interpretation of life and adds to people's ingenuity.