The Complete Book of Chinese Knotting. Lydia Chen

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      Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd, with editorial offices at 354 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, Vermont 05759, USA, and 61 Tai Seng Avenue #02-12, Singapore 534167.

      Text and illustrations copyright © 1997 Echo Publishing Company Limited and Lydia Chen First Tuttle edition 2007

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher.

      Library of Congress Control Number

       2007920603

      ISBN: 978 0 8048 3679 1

       ISBN: 978-1-4629-1645-0 (ebook)

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      Contents

       A Unique Handicraft

       Chinese Knots in Ancient Times

       Special Characteristics of Chinese Knots

       Chinese Knotting Techniques

       FOUR MAIN METHODS OF TYING BASIC KNOTS

       NINE WAYS OF MODIFYING BASIC KNOTS

       EXTENSIONS AND VARIATIONS OF BASIC KNOTS

       Cloverleaf Knot

       Pan Chang Knot

       Round Brocade knot

       Constellation Knot

       Good Luck Knot

       Buddha Knot

       Double Connection Knot

       Plafond Knot

       Double Coin Knot

       Button Knot

       Creative Chinese Knotting Designs

       CONCEIVING A DESIGN

       Real and Imaginary Creatures

       Flowers and People

       Painting Chinese Knots

       Plafond Designs

       Jewelry and Ornaments

      Born first out of practical necessity in ancient times, Chinese knots were soon employed as decorative motifs on artifacts, both functional and ornamental. Between the Warring States Period, when the prototype of the double coin knot evolved, to the Qing Dynasty, to which the plafond knot has been dated, there is ample archaeological evidence that twelve basic knots were developed by Chinese master craftsmen over the centuries before the modern era.

      WARRING STATES PERIOD (475–221 BCE)

      Prototype vertical double coin knots on a pedestal box from Zhao Qing’s tomb, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province.

      WESTERN HAN PERIOD (206 BCE–CE 8)

      Double coin knot

      Horizontal double coin knot on a rubbing taken off a stone carving, Western Han Period, from Feng Lu Jiu’s tomb, Tang He, Henan Province.

      HAN DYNASTY (206 BCE–CE 220)

      Flat knot

      Button knot

      Flat knot on the top of a jade pendant. Photo courtesy Palace Museum, Taipei.

      Button knot on a rubbing taken off a stone carving from an ancient tomb in Shandong Province.

      NORTHERN ZHOU PERIOD (CE 557–588)

      Good luck knot on a statue of Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, from cave 55, Maiji Caves, Tianshui, Gansu Province.

      Prototype of the good luck knot.

      A Unique Handicraft

      The Shuowen Jiezi, the first comprehensive Chinese character dictionary, compiled around CE 100, defines the word “knot” as “the joining of two cords.” Knotting is an ancient and highly regarded art form in China and an integral part of Chinese life. Because such knotwork appeared in ancient times, was developed in the Tang and Song dynasties in China and was popularized during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the knots are naturally enough referred to as Chinese knots.