Page 99 - J. C. Turner "History and Science of Knots"

CHAPTER 6

THE ART OF CHINESE KNOTWORK: A SHORT HISTORY

Lydia H. S. Chen

Introduction

Ancient Chinese mythology has it that `when Heaven and Earth had been
separated, there was still no human race. The goddess Nu-wa then shaped
mankind out of yellow earth. However, as this task was too fatiguing and
time-consuming, she trailed a rope in the mud, removed it and created men.
The noble and the rich were made out of the yellow earth, while poor and
lowly people were created from the mud-covered rope'[151. Mythical though
this legend may be, it nonetheless signifies the inextricable ties between rope
and men, and this connection is even more significant when we realize the
important role that rope has played in the real life of mankind.
By the time that primitive man had learned to cover his body with tree
leaves and animal skins to ward off cold, he would be aware that he could
make knots by interlacing ropes. While we are not certain when the craft
of tying knots first came about, we do know from scientific investigations of
archaeological finds that approximately one million years ago fire was used in
the cooking of food by the inhabitants of China [3]. It is therefore not illogical
to assume that men might have discovered the technique of knotting around
the same time. The first hint of the earliest knots in China dates back to
the late paleolithic period, some 18 000 years ago. Cultural relics from that
era found in a cave at Chou-k'ou-tien in Hopei Province include bone needles,
pierced shells, and dyed stone beads [16]. Archaeologists maintain that these
instruments were used for sewing, and that the inhabitants possessed some
rudimentary ideas of aesthetic appreciation. The presence of these artifacts
also indicates that knots and splices must have already been in existence at
that time.

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