Page 9 - Lydia Chen - The Complete Book of Chinese Knotting

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remaining keepers of the knotting tradition and recorded their work in a series of articles published in the magazine.
When the art of macramé became popular in the West in the 1970s, there was a simultaneous revival of interest in Chinese
knots. In the 1980s, Lydia Chen focused her energies on researching the knots embellishing artifacts preserved during the
Qing Dynasty, which had been uncovered in archaeological finds, and on historical texts, piecing together scraps of infor-
mation about the evolution of knots, and then assembling practical manuals to disseminate the art of Chinese knotting
to a wider audience. Once an oral tradition, handed down from one generation to another, Chinese knotting became –
almost overnight – accessible to millions worldwide, which is testified today by its widespread popularity. Chinese knot-
ting has now become a type of elegant and colorful craft, removed from its original practical use.
In her first book, Chinese Knotting: Creative Designs That Are Easy and Fun! (first published by Echo Publishing in 1983
and reissued by Tuttle Publishing two decades later, in 2003), Lydia Chen traces the origins, history and symbolism
of Chinese knotting before taking the reader through the fundamental elements necessary for tying Chinese decorative
knots – the materials, implements and main processes. Step-by-step instructions are given for eleven basic knots, which
provide the building blocks for fourteen compound knots. These are followed by 41 knotting projects of varying difficul-
ty. The book is primarily a compilation of Chinese knots that had almost been lost to time.
In her second book, Fun with Chinese Knotting: Making Your Own Fashion Accessories and Accents (first English edition,
Tuttle Publishing 2006), the author explores the potential of this traditional art. The book not only entices newcomers to
pick up Chinese knotting by focusing on how Chinese knots can be used as fashion accessories (hair ornaments, earrings,

SONG DYNASTY (CE 960–1279) MING DYNASTY (CE 1368–1644) QING DYNASTY (CE 1644–1911)

Pan chang knot
Cloverleaf knot
Plafond knot

Cloverleaf knot decorating the top of a white
porcelain box. Private collection.

Plafond knot and tassel suspended
from a ball carved from hollowed
ivory tusk. Photo courtesy Palace
Museum,Taipei.
Pan chang knot hanging from a screen in a portrait of the
Emperor Xiaozhong. Photo courtesy Palace Museum,Taipei.

6 THE COMPLETE BOOK OF CHINESE KNOTTING