View source for Chinese knotting

{{Short description|Decorative handicraft art}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| pic = Chinese knot.JPG
| piccap = Example of Chinese knotwork
| t = 中國結
| s = 中国结
| p = Zhōngguó jié
| altname = Zhongguo jie
| l = Chinese knot
| lang1 = English
| lang1_content = Chinese knotting/ Chinese knots/ Decorative knots
}}
'''Chinese knotting''', also known as '''{{Transliteration|zh|zhongguo jie}}''' ({{zh|t=中國結|s=|p=Zhōngguó jié}}), is a [[Chinese folk art]] with ties to [[Buddhism]] and [[Taoism]].<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Lucchinelli |first=Valeria |date=2023-03-24 |title=Chinese Knots how-to: The complete guide to Chinese New Year traditional craft |url=https://artsproutsart.com/chinese-knots-how-to-chinese-new-year-traditional-craft/ |access-date=2023-07-28 |website=Art Sprouts}}</ref> A Chinese [[knot]] is made from a single length of cord that is woven into different shapes, with each shape having a symbolic meaning.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-04-28 |title=History of Chinese Knots, Types, and Their Meanings |url=https://chinamarketadvisor.com/history-of-chinese-knots-types-and-meanings/ |access-date=2023-07-29 |website=China Market Advisor}}</ref> The most common color used in Chinese knotting is red, a color [[Color in Chinese culture|associated with luck]] in [[Chinese culture]], although any color can be used. Charms, beads, and [[jade]] are sometimes incorporated into a Chinese knot. It is believed that Chinese knotting originated for recording information and exchanging messages before writing was commonplace. Traditionally, Chinese knots acted as [[good-luck charm]]s to ward off evil spirits. Chinese knots are used today to decorate homes during festivities and are also commonly seen in traditional jade jewellery and [[Chinese clothing|traditional Chinese clothing]].<ref name=":8" />

== Characteristics ==
[[File:Eight chinese knots.jpg|left|thumb|Eight tassel pendants made up of a type of Chinese knot and Chinese tassel]]{{More citations needed|section|date=July 2023}}
Chinese knots come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They are made from a single cord and are often double-layered and [[Symmetry|symmetrical]] in all directions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=He |first=Gu |date=2016-11-01 |title=The Chinese Knot |url=http://www.chinatoday.com.cn/english/culture/2016-11/01/content_729663.htm |url-status= |access-date=2024-01-05 |website=CHINA TODAY}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Chinese Knotting Home Page |url=https://chineseknotting.org/ |access-date=2023-07-28 |website=chineseknotting.org}}</ref><ref name=":4" /> Satin cording is the most widely used material, especially when the knotting is done for clothing and jewellery; however, cotton, [[parachute cord]], and other materials are frequently used as well. Knots are often paired with [[tassel]]s, which are created separately and then incorporated into the main work.<ref name=":8" />[[Image:Chinese Butterfly Knot.jpg|thumb|A Chinese butterfly knot lanyard with cross knots]]
Chinese knots are created in a variety of colors such as gold, green, blue, or black, though the most commonly used color is red, which symbolizes good luck and prosperity.

=== Types and shapes ===
Chinese knot scholar Lydia Chen lists eleven basic types of Chinese decorative knotwork. Complex knots are constructed from repeating or combining basic knots.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Chen |first=Lydia |title=Chinese Knotting |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-4629-1658-0 |pages=63–114 |publisher=Tuttle }}</ref> 
{| class="wikitable"
|+Types of Chinese knots<ref name=":5" />
!Name
!Chinese name 
!Alternate names
!Images
|-
|[[Chinese button knot]]
|中國鈕扣結(traditional)
中国纽扣结(simplified)
|Knife lanyard knot, Bosun whistle knot
|[[File:Chinese button knot.jpg|center|frameless|155x155px]]
|-
|Cloverleaf knot
|三葉草結 (traditional)
三叶草结 (simplified)
|Four-flower knot, dragonfly knot; ginger knot (생쪽매듭, Korean)
|
[[File:Chinese Cloverleaf Knot.jpg|center|frameless]]
|-
|Cross knot
|十字結 (traditional)
十字结 (simplified)
|Square knot, [[friendship knot]], Japanese crown knot
|<gallery mode="packed">
File:Chinese Cross knot front view.jpg|Front view
File:Chinese Cross knot back view.jpg|Back view
</gallery>
|-
|Double connection knot
|雙結 (traditional)
双结 (simplified)
|[[Matthew Walker knot]]; ''dorae'' knot (도래매듭, Korean)
|
[[File:Chinese Double Connection knot.jpg|frameless|center]]
|-
|Double coin knot
|雙錢結 (traditional)
双钱结
(simplified)
|[[Carrick bend]], Josephine knot, Awaji musubi (淡路結び, あわじ結び, abalone knot); wing knot (날개매듭, Korean){{citation needed|date=July 2024}}
|
[[File:Chinese Double Coin knot.jpg|frameless|center]]
|-
|[[Good luck knot]]
|好運結 (traditional)
好运结 (simplified)
|lovers knot (동심결매듭, Korean)
|[[File:Chinese_Good_Luck_Knot.jpg|center|frameless|211x211px]]
|-
|[[Pan Chang knot]] 
|{{lang|zh|盤長結}} (traditional)
盘长结 (simplified)
|Coil knot, temple knot, [[endless knot]], 2x2 mystic knot; chrysanthemum knot (국화매듭, Korean)
|{{Multiple image
| image1            = Chinese Knot P4R.jpg
| caption1          = A 4-row Pan Chang knot with cross knots
| image2            = Pan Chang knot.jpg
| caption2          = An 8-row Pan Chang knot with overlapping ears
| caption_align     = center
| image3            = 3d structure of Panchang knot.png
| caption3          = A 3D structure of a Pan Chang knot
| total_width       = 400
| footer_align      = center
| image4            = 3d structure of Panchang knot-topview.png
| caption4          = 3D structure of a Pan Chang knot (top view)
| image5            = 3d structure of Panchang knot (Chinese knotting) sideview.png
| caption5          = 3D structure of a Pan Chang knot (side view)
| align             = center
| perrow            = 3
| header            = Pan Chang knots
| header_align      = center
}}

|-
|[[Plafond knot]] 
|平結 (traditional)
平结 (simplified)
|spectacle/glasses knot (안경매듭, Korean); caisson ceiling knot
|[[File:Plafond knot.png|center|frameless|180x180px]]
|-
|Round brocade knot
|圓錦結 (traditional)
圆锦结(simplified)
|six-flower knot; apricot/plum blossom knot (매화매듭, Korean)
|[[File:Round_brocade.png|center|frameless]]
|-
|[[Sauvastika]] knot
|萬字結(traditional)
{{lang|zh|万字结}} (simplified)
|Agemaki (Japanese), {{ill|Sailor's cross|it|Nodo del vero amore}}; dragonfly wing knot (잠자리날개매듭, Korean)
|
[[File:Chinese Sauvastika knot.jpg|frameless|center]]
|}

== History ==
[[Archaeology|Archaeological]] studies indicate that the art of tying knots dates back to [[Prehistory|prehistoric]] times. Discoveries include 100,000-year-old [[bone needle]]s used for [[sewing]] and [[Bodkin needle|bodkin]]s used to untie [[knot]]s. Due to the delicate nature of the medium, little evidence of prehistoric Chinese knotting exists today. Some of the earliest evidence of knotting has been preserved on bronze vessels from the [[Warring States period]] (481–221 BCE), [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] carvings from the [[Northern dynasties]] period (317–581), and on [[silk painting]]s from the [[Western Han]] period (206 BCE – 9 CE).

===Recordkeeping===

Archaeological and literary evidence indicate that knots were used in China as a method of keeping records, especially to assist in [[governance]].<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mair |first=Victor |date=2021-04-17 |title=Prehistoric notation systems in Peru, with Chinese parallels |url=https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=50819 |access-date=2023-07-31 |website=Language Log}}</ref> The practice had some similarities to the [[Inca Empire|Incan]] practice of [[quipu]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sutherland |first=A. |date=2017-03-15 |title=Ancient Chinese Version of Quipu -Tradition of Tying Knots Dates Back To Antiquity |url=https://www.ancientpages.com/2017/03/15/ancient-chinese-version-of-quipu-tradition-of-tying-knots-dates-back-to-antiquity/ |access-date=2023-07-31 |website=Ancient Pages}}</ref> Several works of [[Chinese classics|classical Chinese literature]] make reference to it. The ''[[Tao Te Ching]]'' (ca. 400 BCE) alludes to the practice in chapter 80. As translated by [[Wing-tsit Chan]]:<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Way of Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching) |publisher=The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc. |year=1963 |isbn=0-02-320700-0 |pages=238}} Explanatory parenthetical added by the translator.</ref>{{Blockquote|text="Let the people again knot cords and use them (in place of writing)" [使民復結繩而用之]}}

The ''[[I Ching|Yi Jing]]'', ''[[Xici|Xi Ci]]'' II (ca. 168 BCE<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ames |first=Roger T. |title=The Great Commentary (Dazhuan 大傳) and Chinese natural cosmology |year=2015 |journal=International Communication of Chinese Culture |volume=2 |pages=1–18 |doi=10.1007/s40636-015-0013-2 |s2cid=256393751 |doi-access=free }}</ref>), describes the practice:<ref name="古者包牺氏之王天下也...作结绳而为罔罟，以佃以渔">{{cite web |title=Book of Changes:《系辞下 – Xi Ci II》 |url=https://ctext.org/book-of-changes/xi-ci-xia/ens |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924170601/https://ctext.org/book-of-changes/xi-ci-xia/ens |archive-date=24 September 2020 |access-date=13 July 2020 |website=ctext.org }}</ref>

{{Blockquote|text="In the highest antiquity, government was carried on successfully by the use of knotted cords (to preserve the memory of things). In subsequent ages the sages substituted for these written characters and bonds. By means of these (the doings of) all the officers could be regulated, and (the affairs of) all the people accurately examined."|title=|source=}}

The Eastern [[Han dynasty|Han]] (25–220 CE) scholar [[Zheng Xuan]], who annotated the {{Transliteration|zh|[[Book of Changes|Yi Jing]]}}, wrote that:<ref>{{Cite book |title=Zhou yi zheng yi |date=2001 |publisher=Tai wan gu ji |others=Wang, Bi (Sanguo); Kong, Yingda; Li, Xueqin; Lu, Guangming; Li, Shen |isbn=957-9402-28-0 |location=Tai bei shi |script-title=zh:周易正義 |oclc=327183583}}</ref><ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=9}}{{Clarification needed|reason=This description seems to suggest this was written in a commentary on the Yi Jing, but it's unclear. The sources are not easily accessible online, so this can't be easily verified and made clear.|date=July 2023}}

{{Blockquote|text="Big events were recorded with complicated knots, and small events were recorded with simple knots." [事大，大结其绳；事小，小结其绳].}}

The chapter of [[Tibetan Empire|Tubo]] (Tibet) in the ''[[New Book of Tang]]'' says:<ref name="Tubo I">{{cite web |title=Xin Tangshu/ juan 216 shang |script-title=zh:新唐書/卷216上 |trans-title=New book of Tang/ Volume 216 |url=https://zh.wikisource.org/zh/新唐書/卷216上 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200714164037/https://zh.wikisource.org/zh/%E6%96%B0%E5%94%90%E6%9B%B8/%E5%8D%B7216%E4%B8%8A |archive-date=14 July 2020 |access-date=14 July 2020 |website=Wikisource}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|text="The government makes the agreement by tie cords due to lack of characters." [其吏治，无文字，结绳齿木为约].}}

=== Ancient totem ===

[[File:Mawangdui silk banner from tomb no1.jpg|thumb|Mawangdui silk banner from tomb no1|alt=Mawangdui silk banner from tomb no1.jpg|396x396px]]

In addition to their use in recording, knots became a [[totem]] and belief motif.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Zhiyuan|first=Zhang|date=1993|title=A Brief Account of Traditional Chinese Festival Customs|journal=The Journal of Popular Culture|volume=27|issue=2|pages=13–24|doi=10.1111/j.0022-3840.1993.1354684.x|issn=1540-5931}}</ref> A [[Carrick bend|double coin knot]] pattern painting on a silk banner was discovered by archaeologists in the [[Mawangdui]] tombs (206 BCE – CE 9).<ref name="T-shape fabric">{{cite web |date=2017 |title=T-Shaped Painting on Silk |url=http://www.hnmuseum.com/en/zuixintuijie/t-shaped-painting-silk |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718165523/http://www.hnmuseum.com/en/zuixintuijie/t-shaped-painting-silk |archive-date=18 July 2020 |access-date=17 July 2020 |website=Hunan Museum}}</ref> The pattern is of intertwined dragons forming a double coin knot in the middle of the fabric painting. The upper part of the fabric painting depicts the ancient deities [[Fuxi]] and [[Nüwa]], the initiators of marriage in China, from whom many ancient poems derive "love" as a meaning of the double coin knot.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=10}} There is evidence from the 3,000-year-old [[Yinxu]] [[oracle bone script]] that knots were recognized as symbols rather than for functional use.<ref name=":0" />

===Decorative art===

According to Lydia Chen, the earliest tangible evidence of knots as a decorative motif is on a small high-stemmed square pot from the [[Spring and Autumn period]] (770–476 BCE), which is now displayed in the [[Shanxi Museum]].<ref name="Double coin knot pattern on High stem small square pot">{{cite web|title=高柄小方壶 High stem small square pot|url=http://www.shanximuseum.com/detail_collection/358.html|access-date=13 July 2020|website=shanximuseum.com|archive-date=13 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200713123347/http://www.shanximuseum.com/detail_collection/358.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=5}} However, archaeology research has found that the earliest decorative knot artifact in China can be traced back to 4000 years ago, when a three-row [[rattan]] knotting of a [[Carrick bend|double coin knot]] was excavated from [[Liangzhu culture|Liangzhu]] ruins.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Yu [于] |first1=Weidong [伟东] |last2=Guo [郭] |first2=Yishu [乙姝] |last3=Zhou [周] |first3=Sheng [胜] |date=2016 |title=Lun "jie" de gongju qiyuanshuo |script-title=zh:论"结"的工具起源说 |trans-title=On the origin of "knot" as tool |journal=Journal of Silk |volume=53 |issue=8 |pages=80 |doi=10.3969/j.issn.1001-7003.2016.08.013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=You Hemudu Wenhua faduan |script-title=zh:由河姆渡文化发端 |url=https://kuaibao.qq.com/s/20180320B07GY100?refer=spider |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715153640/https://kuaibao.qq.com/s/20180320B07GY100?refer=spider |archive-date=15 July 2020 |access-date=15 July 2020 |website=看点快报}}</ref>

Knots gradually evolved into a distinct decorative art in [[China]], beginning with the use of ribbon knotting and decorative knots on clothing during the Spring and Autumn period. This is attested in the {{Transliteration|zh|[[Zuo Zhuan]]}}, where it is written that:<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Chunqiu Zuo Zhuan ·Zhao Gong |script-title=zh:春秋左传·昭公 |trans-title=Spring and Autumn Zuo Zhuan·Zhao Gong |url=https://zh.m.wikisource.org/wiki/春秋左氏傳/昭公 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716233749/https://zh.m.wikisource.org/wiki/%E6%98%A5%E7%A7%8B%E5%B7%A6%E6%B0%8F%E5%82%B3/%E6%98%AD%E5%85%AC |archive-date=16 July 2020 |access-date=14 July 2020 |website=Wikisource}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|text="The collar has an intersection, and the belt is tied as knots." [衣有襘．帶有結]}}

Chinese knotting was thus derived from the {{Transliteration|zh|[[Lào zi]]}} culture. The Chinese word ''Lào'' is an ancient Chinese term for knots, and it was customary to tie a knot at the waist with silk or cotton ribbon.<ref name=":3" />

==== Sui to Ming dynasties ====
The [[Sui dynasty|Sui]] and [[Tang dynasty|Tang]] dynasties (581–906 CE) saw the first peak of the ''Lào zi'' culture when basic knots, such as the [[Swastika]] knot and the round brocade knot, became popular adornments on garments, both among the nobility and the commoners.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=12}} Knots were cherished not only as symbols and tools, but also as an essential part of everyday life to decorate and express thoughts and feelings.<ref name=":3" />
[[File:Traditional chinese wedding.jpg|thumb|Bride and groom in [[traditional Chinese wedding dress]] holding the Concentric knot.]]
In the Tang and [[Song dynasty]] (960–1279 CE), the love-based knot became an important symbol, as evidenced in many of the poems, novels, and paintings of the era. In the memoir {{Transliteration|zh|[[Dongjing Meng Hua Lu]]}} ({{Lang-zh|c=東京夢華錄|labels=no}}) written by [[:zh:孟元老|Meng Yuanlao]], it is observed that in the [[Traditional Chinese marriage|traditional wedding custom]], a Concentric knot needed to be held by the bride and groom.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Meng [孟] |first=Yuanlao [元老] |title=Qinding siku quanshu Dongjing Menhua Lu Juan wu |script-title=zh:欽定四庫全書 東亰夢華録巻五 |url=http://skqs.guoxuedashi.com/wen_838d/20438.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200717131351/http://skqs.guoxuedashi.com/wen_838d/20438.html |archive-date=17 July 2020 |access-date=17 July 2020 |website=guoxuedashi}}</ref> Other ancient poems used the Concentric knot to portray love, such as [[Luo Binwang]]'s poem:<ref>{{Cite web |last=王 |first=駱賓 |title=帝京篇 |url=https://fanti.dugushici.com/ancient_proses/3795 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200717171729/https://fanti.dugushici.com/ancient_proses/3795 |archive-date=17 July 2020 |access-date=17 July 2020 |website=dugushici}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|text="Knot the ribbon as the Concentric knot, interlock the love as the clothes." [同心结缕带，连理织成衣].}}

It was also mentioned in a poem written by [[Huang Tingjian]]:

{{Blockquote|text="We had a time knotting together, loving as the ribbon tied." [曾共结，合欢罗带].}}

The most famous poem about the Love knot was written by [[Meng Jiao]] in {{Transliteration|zh|Jie Ai}} ({{Lang-zh|c=结爱|t=|labels=no}} – {{Lit|Bond of Love}}).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Poems of Meng Jiao |script-title=zh:孟郊诗 |url=https://tangshi.tuxfamily.org/mengjiao/mj026.html |access-date=2022-07-02 |website=tangshi.tuxfamily.org}}</ref>

The phenomenon of knot-tying continued to steadily evolve over thousands of years with the development of more sophisticated techniques and increasingly intricate woven patterns. During the Song and [[Yuan dynasty|Yuan dynasties]] (960–1368), the [[Pan Chang knot]], today's most recognizable Chinese knot, became popular. Much artwork evidence has also shown the knots as clothing decoration during the [[Ming dynasty]] (1368–1644); for instance, in [[Tang Yin]]'s artwork, a knotting ribbon is clearly shown.

{{Multiple image
| total_width       = 300
| image1            = Tangyin12.jpg
| caption1          = Painting by [[Tang Yin]], 1520.
| header            = Chinese knots in paintings
| header_align      = center
| image2            = Tang Yin - Making the Bride's Gown - Walters 3520.jpg
| caption2          = ''Making the Bride's gown'', between 1700 and 1825, Qing dynasty
}}

==== Qing dynasty ====
During the [[Qing dynasty]] (1644–1911), Chinese knotting evolved from folklore to an acceptable art form in Chinese society. The ''Lào zi'' culture again became popular during the Qing dynasty. During that time, basic knots were widely used to embellish everyday objects such as {{Transliteration|zh|[[ruyi (scepter)|ruyi]]}}, [[Hebao|sachets]], purses, fan tassels, spectacle cases, and rosaries, and the single knot technique was extended into complicated knots.<ref name=":4">{{cite book |last1=Chen |first1=Lydia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cndzBgAAQBAJ&q=the+complete+book+of+chinese+knotting+Ruyi,+sachets,+wallets,+fan+tassels,+spectacle&pg=PA14 |title=The Complete Book of Chinese Knotting: A Compendium of Techniques and Variations |date=2007 |publisher=Tuttle Publishing |isbn=978-1-4629-1645-0 |pages=5–16|access-date=28 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813021147/https://books.google.com/books?id=cndzBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA14&lpg=PA14&dq=the+complete+book+of+chinese+knotting+Ruyi,+sachets,+wallets,+fan+tassels,+spectacle |archive-date=13 August 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|page=14}}

{{Multiple image
| total_width       = 250
| image1            = MET DP14276.jpg
| caption1          = Mirror and needle case
| header            = Chinese knots in daily items
| header_align      = center
| image2            = MET DP14269.jpg
| caption2          = Mirror
| align             = left
| image3            = MET DP14310.jpg
| caption3          = Toy
| footer            = Objects decorated with Chinese knots dating from the Qing dynasty, 19th century
| footer_align      = center
| caption4          = Brisé Fan
| image4            = Brisé Fan (China), early 19th century (CH 18394881).jpg
| perrow            = 2
| caption_align     = center
}}

According to the Chinese classical novel ''[[Dream of the Red Chamber]]'', the ''Lào zi'' was developed and spread between the middle and upper nobility, who used ''Lào zi'' as a way to express love and luck between family members, lovers, and friends.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=紅樓夢/第035回 |trans-title=Dream of the Red Chamber·Chapter 35 |url=https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E7%B4%85%E6%A8%93%E5%A4%A2/%E7%AC%AC035%E5%9B%9E |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200714152907/https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E7%B4%85%E6%A8%93%E5%A4%A2/%E7%AC%AC035%E5%9B%9E |archive-date=14 July 2020 |access-date=2020-07-14 |website=Wikisource}}</ref> It was also a form of honorable craftsmanship studied and created by maids in the Imperial Palace. As written in the {{Transliteration|zh|Gongnü Tan Wang lu}} ({{Lang-zh|c=宫女谈往录|t=|labels=no}}), when knotting, the maids of [[Empress Dowager Cixi|Ci Xi]] were able to quickly produce many different knots.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jin |first1=Yi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CGW-AQAACAAJ |title=Gong nü tan wang lu |last2=Shen |first2=Yiling |publisher=Zi jin cheng chu ban she |year=1991 |isbn=978-7-80047-055-4 |edition=1st |page=29 |access-date=14 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813010205/https://books.google.com/books?id=CGW-AQAACAAJ |archive-date=13 August 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|page=29}}

==== Republic of China ====
There was little development of knotting during the [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]] (1912–1949). Simpler knots were popular, for example the ''pan kou'', which had been developed before the Qing dynasty,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Li [李] |first1=Keyou [科友[ |last2=Zhou [周] |first2=Diren [迪人] |last3=Yu [于] |first3=Shaoxian [少先] |date=1990 |title=Jiangxi de an nansong zhou shu mu qingli jianbao |script-title=zh:江西德安南宋周氏墓清理简报 |trans-title=Brief report on the cleanup of Zhou's tomb in South Song, De'an, Jiangxi |url=https://wenku.baidu.com/view/10deeb36ee06eff9aef8071c.html |url-status=live |journal=文物 |volume=9 |pages=1–13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718094015/https://wenku.baidu.com/view/10deeb36ee06eff9aef8071c.html |archive-date=18 July 2020 |access-date=17 July 2020}}</ref> used knot button ornaments designed particularly for the [[cheongsam]] in this period.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Guo |first=Jing |url=https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/icelaic-14/12576 |title=Aesthetic Characteristics of Shanghai Qipao in Chinese Women's Dress Culture |publisher=Atlantis Press |year=2014 |isbn=978-94-6252-013-4 |series=Proceedings of the International Conference on Education, Language, Art and Intercultural Communication |volume=3 |pages=510|chapter=Aesthetic Characteristics of Shanghai Qipao in Chinese Women s Dress Culture |doi=10.2991/icelaic-14.2014.128 |access-date=17 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716150854/https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/icelaic-14/12576 |archive-date=16 July 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 20th and 21st centuries ===
[[File:HK 尖沙咀 TST 人文藝術購物館 K11 MUSEA mall exhibition 褀袍 Qupao May 2020 SS2 06.jpg|thumb|Variety of pan kou typically used as a fastener for the [[cheongsam]]|211x211px]]
Knowledge and interest in Chinese knotting had declined considerably by the 1970s,<ref name=":7">{{Cite book |last1=Chang |first1=Zonglin |title=Zhongguo wen hua dao du |last2=Li |first2=Xukui |publisher=Tsinghua University Press |year=2006 |isbn=7-302-12632-1 |edition=1st |location=Beijing |script-title=zh:中国文化导读 |trans-title=Aspect of Chinese culture |oclc=77167477}}</ref>{{Rp|page=64}} when Lydia Chen helped bring about a renewal of interest in the art form through the Chinese Knotting Promotion Center.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chinese Knotting |url=https://english.visitbeijing.com.cn/article/47OMfn7ZCMG |access-date=2023-07-29 |website=english.visitbeijing.com.cn}}</ref> Chinese knotting has since become a popular symbol and [[souvenir]] in festivals and [[commodity market]]s.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Yang |first=Yuxin |title=Unveiling and Activating the "Uncertain Heritage" of Chinese Knotting |url=https://papers.iafor.org/submission41803/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715204010/https://papers.iafor.org/submission41803/ |archive-date=15 July 2020 |access-date=14 July 2020 |issn=2187-4751 |journal=The Asian Conference on Cultural Studies 2018: Official Conference Proceedings|date=9 April 2018 }}</ref><ref name=":7" />{{Rp|page=64}}

The use of {{Transliteration|zh|[[Frog (fastening)|pan kou]]}} on clothing and knots as a folk craft remains alive in China.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hua [华] |first=Mei [梅] |title=Zhongguo fu shi |date=2004 |publisher=Wu zhou chuan bo chu ban she |isbn=7-5085-0540-9 |edition=1st |location=Beijing |trans-title=Chinese clothing |oclc=60568032}}</ref>{{Rp|page=98}}

{{Clear}}

== Influences and derivatives ==

===Japan===
[[File:MAP Expo Armure Honkozane XVII 06 01 2012 2.jpg|thumb|An agemaki knot]]The knot-tying tradition in Japan is called {{nihongo3|||hanamusubi}}, a term composed of the words {{nihongo3|||hana}}, meaning "flower", and {{nihongo3|||musubi}}, meaning "knot".<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=16}}

The {{nihongo3|||hanamusubi}} is a legacy of the Tang dynasty of China, when a Japanese Emperor in the 7th century was so impressed by Chinese knots which were used to tie a gift from the Chinese that he started to encourage Japanese people to adopt the practice.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=16}}

Japanese knots are more austere, formal, simple, and structurally looser than the Chinese knots.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=16}} In function, Japanese knots are more decorative than functional.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=16}} With a greater emphasis on the [[kumihimo|braids]] that are used to create the knots, Japanese knotting tends to focus on individual knots.{{Clear}}

===Korea===
{{Main|Korean knots}}

In [[Korea]], decorative knot work is known as {{transliteration|ko|[[korean knots|maedeup]]}} ({{Korean|hangul=매듭|hanja=|rr=|mr=|labels=|links=|lit=}}), often referred as '''Korean knotwork''' or '''Korean knots''' in English.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=16}}

The Korean knotting techniques is believed to originate from China, from which Korean knots evolved into its own culture in terms of design, color, and incorporation of local characteristics.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=16}} The origins of {{transliteration|ko|maedeup}} date back to the [[Three Kingdoms of Korea]] in the first century CE. {{transliteration|ko|Maedeup}} articles were first used at religious ceremonies.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Van Rensburg |first=Elsabe Jansen |title=Knot another! : a step-by-step guide to 50 Korean maedeup knots and projects (as taught to me by Ms. Kim Mi Hae) |date=2009 |publisher=Bleho Media |isbn=9786119020405 |location=Bangkok |oclc=796904799}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=July 2022}}

A wall painting from 357 CE found in [[Anak County|Anak]], [[Hwanghae Province]], now in [[North Korea]], indicates that silk was the primary medium at the time. Decorative cording was used on silk dresses, to ornament swords, to hang personal items from belts for the aristocracy, and in rituals, where it continues now in contemporary wedding ceremonies. Korean knotwork is differentiated from [[Korean embroidery]]. {{transliteration|ko|Maedeup}} is still a commonly practiced traditional art, especially among the older generations.

The most basic knot in {{transliteration|ko|maedeup}} is called the {{transliteration|ko|dorae}} (or the ''double connection knot''). The {{transliteration|ko|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.<ref name=":6" />{{Page needed|date=July 2022}} The {{transliteration|ko|bongsul}} tassel is noteworthy as the most representative work familiar to Westerners, and often purchased as souvenirs for [[macramé]]-style wall-hangings.

== See also ==
* [[Chinese art]]
* [[Chinese folk art]]
* [[Chinese paper cutting]]
* [[Chinese paper folding]]
* [[Endless knot]]
** '''China:''' {{Transliteration|zh|[[Frog (fastening)|Pan kou]]}}; {{Transliteration|zh|[[Lào zi]]}}
** '''Japan''': [[Mizuhiki]]
** '''Korea''': [[Norigae]]
* [[List of Japanese tea ceremony equipment#Shifuku]]
* [[Macrame]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Chinese knots}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chinese Knotting}}
[[Category:Arts in China]]
[[Category:Arts in Japan]]
[[Category:Arts in Korea]]
[[Category:Chinese folk art]]
[[Category:Decorative knots]]
[[Category:East Asian art]]