For Chen Ching-lin and Ma Yu-hsiu, many plants
offer hidden treasures--remarkable tinctorial
properties that bring a myriad of hues to the dye
pot for those with the knowledge to unlock their
secrets. The two have devoted countless hours to
exploring natural dyeing, not just to discover what
nature has to offer, but to inspire a cultural
renaissance and to educate people about protecting
the environment.
For millennia, people have used natural dyes to jazz up their environment and accentuate their wardrobe by applying the dyes to clothes, pottery, baskets, and other household goods. Yet, making natural dyes requires collecting large quantities of organic materials. Today, the producers of commercial dyes rely on synthetic substitutes, and the techniques of natural dyeing have largely fallen by the wayside.
Man-made dyes, however, lack the vibrancy of the colors nature has to offer. "The composition of natural pigments is very complicated in that it still cannot be accurately analyzed, even with modern technology," says Chen Ching-lin, assistant professor at Tainan National College of the Arts' Graduate Institute of Applied Arts. "As a result, a synthetic dye can never reproduce the richness of the natural dye that it is intended to imitate."
Chen and his wife Ma Yu-hsiu began researching and promoting natural dyeing techniques in the mid-1980s, and a few years later the couple decided to quit their jobs in order to explore the many colors produced from natural dyes and the disappearing techniques that produced them.
They have since conducted extensive field studies on Taiwan's native plants and gathered information about dyeing techniques from elderly aboriginal craftsmen. "Nearly 99 percent of the traditional natural dyeing craft, a craft which aborigines were extraordinarily adept at, has disappeared," Chen says. "It's important that the skills and knowledge of natural dyeing be kept alive, because they are a valuable part of our cultural heritage."
Chen and Ma also went on fact-finding tours to ethnic minority areas in China's southwestern provinces in their search for natural-dyeing techniques. Over the past ten years, the couple has spent two to four months every year visiting China to study dyeing and weaving techniques, and traditional costumes. "For us, the greatest pleasure of exploring natural dyes lies in gaining an in-depth knowledge of the rich colors nature has to offer," Chen says. "It's so attractive to investigate the potential of plants as a source of beautiful dyes, and to do it with the help of our ancestors' wisdom."
Chen says that until the mid-19th century, when synthetic dyes came into use, all colors came from natural sources, such as plants and minerals, and sometimes animal parts. Plant dyes offer the greatest diversity. Such substances were often used as body paints, cosmetics, and coloring for pottery glazes and baskets long before they were applied to textiles.
The precise origin of dyeing fabrics with organic substances is still largely unknown. Archaeological finds indicate that dyes from natural sources have been used to color textiles for at least 6,000 years. Between about 4,000 and 3,000 BC, dyeing became an established craft in India, China, and parts of South America.
Chen says dye colors extracted from plants can be vivid and intense or subtle and delicate, but whatever the result, each has its own unique charm and beauty. Colors can be replicated on yarns and fabrics to reflect the seasonal shift in the colors of the natural world.
In 1998, the Taichung County Culture Center sponsored the couple's three-year research project to study Taiwan's native plants as well as develop usable dyeing materials.
The process of natural dyeing, Chen and Ma admit, is time consuming. One must collect dye plants in the wild, chop plants into small pieces, boil them in a pot, place fibers in a dye bath, modify dyes by using mordants--acids and other natural compounds that help fix colors during dyeing--test the fastness of the colors, and record the results. Frequently, Ma and Chen have to watch a boiling pot for more than ten hours a day just to see how the colors develop over time, an uncomfortable, tiring task, especially during a hot and humid summer.
Nevertheless, the couple has managed to develop various dyeing materials from more than 120 species of plants, including acacia and betel nuts for reds, indigo and woad for blues, waxberry and gardenia for yellows, and curcuma longa and sapium sebiferum for blacks, among others. The plant world is rich in sources of color, which can be extracted from flowers, leaves, bark, roots, heartwoods, fruits, and seeds, Ma says. Sometimes, a whole plant can be used in the dye pot, or only one part of a plant may possess coloring properties.
Ma points out that supplies for dyes are abundant in nature. Fallen leaves, prunings from trees and shrubs, faded blooms, and the plants that have been uprooted to make way for the next season's flora can all be gathered for the dye pot. Besides the many familiar plants, including weeds, that are rich in dye potential, organic waste materials--such as onionskins or the green leafy tops of carrots--can be used as well. Daffodils and dahlias can be put to good use when they fade too. All such resources provide a good starting point for tackling the craft.
Throughout the year, Ma says, different plant parts will yield different tinctorial properties. "One of the thrills of natural dyeing is that each season brings a wealth of new shades to the dye pot," she says. "Moreover, combining dyes creates even more shades and the possibilities are endless."
The results of Chen and Ma's research into the world of natural dyes were published in January 2003. The book, The Essence of Nature--An Encyclopedia on Natural Dyeing in Taiwan , details the habitats of plants used for dyeing, their properties and usage, ways of collection, and dyeing methods. The book also includes approximately 2,000 color swatches that show the vibrant range of colors one can extract from each plant using different mordants. "We wanted to pass our accumulated knowledge and skills onto others in the hope they can get started without having to go through the long process we've endured," Ma says.
Around three years ago, Chen and Ma decided to stop their research for a while, and instead, focus on educating the community. The two began promoting education among schools, communities, and civic organizations, as well as developing clothing and accessories that have been treated with natural dyes.
The couple has been promoting dyeing techniques within different communities by offering courses, lectures, and demonstrations. Much of their time is spent in Sanhsia township in Taipei County, where dyeing was once a prosperous industry, thanks to the area's rich indigo resources.
Indigo, the primary source of blue dye, was once an important export commodity. "Sanhsia was once a major center of fabric dyeing during the Ching Dynasty. Even today, many facades of the dye shops remain," Chen says. "We hope the township will revive the dyeing craft and conserve these relics to revitalize its cultural heritage, while using it as a means to boost tourism."
In light of Chen and Ma's accomplishments, the Taipei County Government sought to organize an Indigo Blue festival last year in Sanhsia, making it an annual event. This year, the two-week-long festival held in August featured a series of activities including an introduction to many of the plants used for dyes, dyeing practice along the creek, guided tours, fashion shows featuring naturally dyed clothing, and other demonstrations.
Among their other efforts, Chen and Ma have teamed up with fellow aficionados to establish an ecological educational park in Taichung, central Taiwan. More than 100 species of commonly seen dye plants in Taiwan are cultivated in the park. Visitors are given a briefing about these plants as well as instruction on natural dyeing.
The couple also set up a working studio, the Natural Dyehouse, in March of 2002, where they regularly run workshops to promote natural dyeing. In addition to taking students outdoors to learn about dye plants, they introduce the concept of natural dyeing and demonstrate how easy it is to get started by offering step-by-step explanations of all the techniques to guide trainees through the various stages of each process. They also emphasize the utilization of environmentally friendly methods in the collection of dye plants and the making of mordants.
Chen further explains that there are many ways of approaching the craft of natural dyeing and only a few hard and fast rules. The elements of personal choice and preference are part of the charm and fascination of natural dyeing. "Dyeing is very much like cooking," Chen says. "The addition or omission of one ingredient or process can often produce a very different result." Whatever the result is, Chen just hopes the whole process is fun and meaningful in that one not only learns about plants, but also learns how to use them in a practical way.
Liao Shu-hua, who signed up for the courses offered by the Natural Dyehouse last summer, is learning about those very different results. "The greatest joy of natural dyeing is the surprise that one gets once the work is completed," she says. "Sometimes, the result is better than expected or the other way around. Most of the time, it's surprisingly pleasant, given its uniqueness."
Liao works at a local handicrafts center teaching the craft of Chinese knot weaving. She says by learning about dyes, she is able to apply the kind of color she wants to the fabrics, rather than using standard synthetic-dyed materials available in the market. Her techniques have set her work apart from those who use synthetic dyes.
Likewise, Li Hsing-yi, an elementary school teacher who has been learning the craft for two years, says the magic of dyeing with plants lies in the infinite variety of the results. "There are many variables involved in terms of plant materials, including their growing conditions, harvesting times, and whether they are used fresh or dried," she says. "All these factors can influence the colors each plant produces. The methods each person uses for color extraction and dye application will also play a part in determining the intensity of shade produced from the dye pot."
Li says the whole process of natural dyeing, though toilsome and economically inefficient, brings her great happiness and a sense of tranquility. The process, she says, also teaches her about the varieties, properties, and applications of various plants.
She is also impressed with the ingenuity of those who developed the craft, and thinks traditional techniques should be preserved.
For the 45-year-old housewife, Chen Hsiu-ying, learning natural dyeing techniques not only enables her to better appreciate the beauty of nature, but has also opened her eyes to the diversity of plants. "The more I know about and have contact with nature, the more I'm fascinated with its beauty," she says. "But when using natural materials, we need to be careful not to damage the ecological balance or threaten their survival."
Chen Hsiu-ying says that nowadays people use too many chemicals, which endanger people's health. Synthetic dyes, moreover, rely heavily on chemicals that damage the environment and often create toxic byproducts. She says it is high time people rethink their practices and explore how to make the best use of what nature has to offer.
"Using natural dyes from plants is a miraculous way of bringing the colors of nature into everyday life," Chen says. "We sincerely hope through the promotion of natural dyeing, the general public can further understand the beauty and value of natural resources, as well as the importance of environmental protection for sustaining not merely the plants' survival, but human beings' as well."