Chinese knotting

Eight examples of one traditional Chinese knot.

Chinese knotting (Chinese: 中國結; pinyin: Zhōngguó jié) is a decorative handicraft art that began as a form of Chinese folk art in the Tang and Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) in China. It was later popularized in the Ming). The art is also referred to as "Chinese traditional decorative knots".^[1] In other cultures, it is known as "decorative knots".

Chinese knots are usually lanyard type arrangements where two cords enter from the top of the knot and two cords leave from the bottom. The knots are usually double-layered and symmetrical.^[2]

History

A Chinese knot

Archaeological studies indicate that the art of tying knots dates back to prehistoric times. Recent discoveries include 100,000-year-old bone needles used for sewing and bodkins, which were used to untie knots. However, due to the delicate nature of the medium, few examples of prehistoric Chinese knotting exist today. Some of the earliest evidence of knotting have been preserved on bronze vessels of the Warring States period (481–221 BCE), Buddhist carvings of the Northern Dynasties period (317–581) and on silk paintings during the Western Han period (206 BCE–CE6).

Further references to knotting have also been found in literature, poetry and the private letters of some of the most famous rulers of China. In the 18th century, one novel that talked extensively about the art was Dream of the Red Chamber.^[3]

The phenomenon of knot tying continued to steadily evolve over the course of thousands of years with the development of more sophisticated techniques and increasingly intricate woven patterns. During the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) knotting finally broke from its pure folklore status, becoming an acceptable art form in Chinese society and reached the pinnacle of its success. Knotting continued to flourish up until about the end of imperial China and the founding of the Republic of China in 1911 CE when China began its modernization period.^[1] From 1912 to the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976, the art of Chinese knotting was almost lost.^[1]

Regional

China

Historically knotwork is divided into cords and knots. In the dynastic periods, a certain number of craftsmen were stationed in the court and outside the court to produce cords and knots in order to meet the increasing demand for them at various places of the court. Cord, knot and tassels were made separated and combined later.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is greatly influenced by western cultures, so Chinese knotting crafts are almost invisible in the daily lives of people there. Yet, around the times of Chinese new year festival, you still can see Chinese knot decorations hanging on walls, doors of homes and as shop decorations to add some festival feel. Usually, these decorations are in red color, which traditional Chinese regards it as a color of "luck".

Korea

In Korea, decorative knotwork is known as maedeup (매듭), often called Korean knotwork or Korean knots. The origins of Maedeup date back to the Three Kingdoms of Korea in the first century CE. Maedeup articles were first used at religious ceremonies.^[4] Inspired by Chinese knotwork, a wall painting found in Anak, Hwanghae Province, now in North Korea, dated 357 CE, indicates that the work was flourishing in silk at that time. Decorative cording was used on silk dresses, to ornament swords, to hang personal items from belts for the aristocracy, in rituals, where it continues now in contemporary wedding ceremonies. Korean knotwork is differentiated from Korean embroidery. Maedeup is still a commonly practiced traditional art, especially amongst the older generations.

The most basic knot in Maedeup is called the Dorae or double connection knot. The Dorae knot is used at the start and end of most knot projects. There are approximately 33 basic Korean knots which vary according to the region they come from. ^[5] The Bong Sool tassel is noteworthy as the most representative work familiar to Westerners, and often purchased as souvenirs for macramé-style wall-hangings.

Japan

With greater emphasis on the braids that are used to create the knots, Japanese knotting (also known as hanamusubi) tends to focus on individual knots.

Types of knots

A 4-row Pan Chang knot with cross knots

An example of the "good luck" knot

A Chinese butterfly knot lanyard with cross knots

Lydia Chen lists eleven basic types of Chinese decorative knotwork in her first book. More complex knots are then constructed from repeating or combining basic knots. They are:

Name	Alternate names
Cloverleaf knot	Four-flower knot, dragonfly knot, ginger knot (Korean)
Round brocade knot	Six-flower knot
Chinese button knot	Knife Lanyard knot, Bosun Whistle knot
Double connection knot	Matthew Walker knot
Double coin knot	Carrick Bend, Josephine knot
Sauvastika knot	Agemaki (Japanese)
Cross knot	Friendship knot, Japanese crown knot
Square knot
Plafond knot 天花板結	Spectacle/glasses knot (Korean), caisson ceiling knot
Pan Chang knot 盤長結	Coil knot, temple knot, Endless knot, Chrysanthemum knot (Korean), 2x2 mystic knot
Good luck knot

One major characteristic of decorative knotwork is that all the knots are tied using one piece of thread, which is usually about one meter in length. However, finished knots look identical from both the front and back. They can come in a variety of colors such as; gold, green, blue or black, though the most commonly used color is red. This is because it symbolizes good luck and prosperity.

There are many different shapes of Chinese knots, the most common being butterflies, flowers, birds, dragons, fish, and even shoes. Culturally they were expected to ward off evil spirits similar to bagua mirrors or act as good-luck charms for Chinese marriages.

Modern adaptations

In February 2008, Corra Liew from Malaysia was seeking possibilities outside traditional wire jewelry making techniques. She developed jewelry based on Chinese knotting made from wire. She calls the technique wired Chinese knot.

Examples of transformed Chinese knots:

Wired Chinese Knot: Rose Knot
Wired Chinese Knot: Jia Sha Knot
Wired Chinese Knot: Button Knot
Wired Chinese Knot: Pipa Knot

Notes and references

1 2 3 Zonglin Chang and Xukui Li, Aspect of Chinese culture, 2006. 中国文化导读. 清华大学出版社 publishing.
↑ www.chineseknotting.org
↑ Chen, Lydia. [2003] (2003). Chinese Knotting: Creative Designs that are Easy and Fun. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 0-8048-3399-0
↑ J. Van Rensburg, Elsabe, Knot Another!, Bangkok: Bleho Media, 2009. ISBN 6119020403
↑ J. Van Rensburg, Elsabe, Knot Another!, Bangkok: Bleho Media, 2009. ISBN 6119020403

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chinese knots.

Knots

By type

Bends	Adjustable bend Albright special Alpine butterfly bend Ashley's bend Basket weave knot Beer knot Blood knot Carrick bend Double fisherman's knot Fisherman's knot Flemish bend Grief knot Halyard bend Harness bend Heaving line bend Hunter's bend Nail knot One-sided overhand bend Racking bend Sheet bend Shoelace knot Shroud knot Simple Simon under Single carrick bend Surgeon's knot Surgeon's loop Triple fisherman's knot True lover's knot Water knot Zeppelin bend Zeppelin loop

Binding	Boa knot Bottle sling Constrictor knot Corned beef knot Granny knot Ground-line hitch Jamming knot Miller's knot Packer's knot Reef knot Strangle knot Thief knot Transom knot

Climbing	Alpine butterfly knot Autoblock Bachmann knot Beer knot Bowline on a bight Directional figure eight Double anchorman knot Double bowline Farmer's loop Figure-eight knot Figure-eight loop Figure-of-nine loop Friction hitch Klemheist knot Munter hitch Overhand loop Prusik Trident loop Yosemite bowline

Coils	Alpine coil Butterfly coil

Decorative	Carrick mat Chinese button knot Celtic button knot Diamond knot Fiador knot Friendship knot Matthew Walker knot Turk's head knot Wall and crown knot

Fishing (angling)	Angler's loop Arbor knot Bimini twist Blood knot Fisherman's knot Half blood knot Improved clinch knot Knotless knot Nail knot Palomar knot Snell knot Trilene knot Triple fisherman's knot Turle knot Uni knot

Hitches	Adjustable grip hitch Anchor bend Axle hitch Bachmann knot Bale sling hitch Barrel hitch Becket hitch Blackwall hitch Blake's hitch Boom hitch Buntline hitch Cat's paw Clove hitch Cow hitch Double overhand noose Falconer's knot Farrimond friction hitch Friction hitch Garda hitch Gripping Sailor's hitch Ground-line hitch Half hitch Halter hitch Highpoint hitch Highwayman's hitch Hitching tie Icicle hitch Improved clinch knot Killick hitch Knute hitch Lobster buoy hitch Marlinespike hitch Munter hitch Ossel hitch Pile hitch Snuggle hitch Swing hitch Taut-line hitch Timber hitch

Loop	Angler's loop Artillery loop Bale sling hitch Bowline Bumper knot Carrick bend loop Cowboy bowline Diamond knot Double bowline Dropper loop Eskimo bowline Fiador knot Fireman's chair knot Friendship knot loop Halter hitch Handcuff knot Honda knot Jury mast knot Overhand loop Portuguese bowline Rigid double splayed loop in the bight Slippery eight loop Span loop Spanish bowline Tom fool's knot Trident loop Triple bowline Triple crown knot Water bowline Yosemite bowline Zeppelin loop

Running (slip)	Hangman's knot Running bowline Running highwayman's hitch Slip knot Tarbuck knot

Shanks	Catshank Dogshank Sheepshank

Stopper	Ashley's stopper knot Button knot Double overhand knot Monkey's fist Overhand knot Stevedore knot

Whipping	Common whipping Overhand knot with draw-loop Portuguese whipping Sailmaker's whipping West Country whipping

Lists of knots
Related topics

Lists of knots	Bends Bindings Decorative knots Hitches (friction) Macramé Mathematical

Related topics	Chinese knotting International Guild of Knot Tyers Lashing Rope splicing Seizing

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