Page 12 - Lydia Chen - The Complete Book of Chinese Knotting

01 Chinese Knots in Ancient Times (09-16) 3/23/07 3:11 PM Page 9

Chinese Knots in Ancient Times

Chinese knotting, ancient as it may be, was never the subject of scholarly trea-
tises and there are only passing references to it in the literature. Some scholars
believe this is because the early Chinese looked down on science, technology
and the folk arts, believing that “Philosophy is the Way, and all others are just
tools.” Yet, the complexity and ingenuity of the knots that have survived from
the late Qing and early Republican periods as well as tantalizing secondhand
Ancient calligraphy from
the late Western Zhou evidence from sculpture, stone carvings, paintings and poetry testify to the
Period (770–256 BCE) in culmination of a long, unbroken artistic tradition that may possibly have pre-
the 12th year of Emperor
Wei’s reign. dated the written record.
From early times, knotting was one of the most basic skills that Man need-
Calligraphy from ed for survival. It was only after knotting techniques were developed to bind
the 27th year of
Emperor Wei’s reign. two or more things together that he could invent a variety of tools for hunting
and fishing, such as bows, arrows and nets. Mankind went on to make farming
tools, such as hoes and shovels, by fastening stones to wooden sticks, which
led, in turn, to the construction of shelters using cords to bind the different
members together, and the development of other inventions to aid production
and convenience. Eventually, knotting became developed for communication
purposes, to exchange letters and numbers and to record events. The art of
knotting gradually found its use in decoration and rituals, firmly establishing
itself as an important part of traditional handicrafts.
Calligraphy from
the 31st year of
Emperor Wei’s reign.
Using Cords to Record Events
Although it is difficult to envisage, there is sufficient documentary evidence to
show that the ancient Chinese recorded events with cords. In a commentary by
an early scholar, Zhou Yi, on the trigrams of the Yi Jing or Book of Changes,the
oldest of the Chinese classic texts, which describes an ancient system of cosmol-
ogy and philosophy that is at the heart of Chinese cultural beliefs, he says that
“in prehistoric times, events were recorded by tying knots; in later ages, books
were used for this.” In the second century CE, the Han scholar Zhen Suen wrote
in his book Yi Zu,“Big events were recorded with complicated knots, and small
events, simple knots.” Chapter 81 of the Tsui Chronicle also records that “... no
writing, hence must carve on woods and tie cords....” Moreover, the chapter on
“Tufan” in the New Tang Chronicle reveals that due to a lack of writing, the
ancient Chinese tied cords to make agreements. This was practiced in other
countries as well. For example, in Peru, there was a similar system called “Qui’
pu,” whereby a single knot means 10, a double knot 20, and multiple knots 100.
Special government officials were available to explain the knots. The only
indigenous evidence of this practice of making records with knotted cord
consists of simple pictorial representations of the symbolic use of knotting on
Jade xi tools in the shape of a phoenix and dragon,
Warring States Period (475–221 BCE). the surface of bronzeware from the Warring States Period (475–221 BCE).

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