Page 131 - Lidya Chen "Complete Book of Chinese Knotting"

07 Creative Designs (115-129) 3/23/07 5:00 PM Page 128

The Mogao Grottoes in China’s Dunhuang
13 Caves contain probably the world’s most
extraordinary gallery of Buddhist art: paintings,
sculptures, Buddhist scriptures, historical docu-
ments, textiles and other relics. Included are not
only paintings of fei tian flying maidens but also
of the dance goddess, no doubt based on dancers
in the palace at the time. In this knot formation,
the lithe movements of the dancers and their
fluttering shawls are convincingly depicted.

TYING INSTRUCTIONS
1.Tie a pan chang knot with compound outer
loops and a cloverleaf knot with two outer loops
in a loop-sharing fashion to make the hair bun,
and a cloverleaf knot to make the rest of the hair.
2.Tie double coin knots to make the upper body.
Use broad double coin knots for the upper arm
bands and double coin knots for the bracelets.
3.Tie a left and a right pan chang knot with com-
pound outer loops to make the lower body. Bend
the loops to represent the feet and the fluttering
skirt and shawls. Lastly, unite both cord ends just
beneath the navel and tie into a cloverleaf knot.

128 REAL AND IMAGINARY CREATURES