Blue and White fabric at Wuzhen

This exhibit was especially spectacular. We entered this museum via a shop that sold a wide variety of items in dark blue and white. There were tableclothes, clothes for adults and children, toys, fans etc all in fabric with flower patterns in white on a drk blue background.

The first area was a "forest" of fabric floating from a high bamboo structure, which looked spectacular. Another room told much of the story of the dying, and as we went along we saw the process in action.

There are stencils and the workers push a type of clay over the stencil, which is dried on a rack and then the fabric is put into big vats where they dye is. The dye is from a locally grown plant which is why the fabric is only blue. It has been a tradition for many many years to make this blue and white fabric here. There was a garden showing the growing of the plant that provides the dye.

During the day I purchased a tablecloth and some fabric.