Shiny indigo jacket of the Dong, Guizhou, South China

The dong are an ethnic group from the south Chinese provinces of Guizhou, Hainan and Guangxi. They are famous for their wood architecture, their drumb towers as well as their wind and rain bridges, for their music, dance and singing. Their cultural assets are considered world heritage by the UN including their shiny indigo fabrics, the elaborated weaving and stiching technics.

This children’s jacket is made of the typical purple, indigo blue fabric that the women of the dong make in their villages. The purple-bluish shine of this fabric called “yan bao”, is achieved by rubbing with water buffalo extract, protein, herbs or supposedly also with cattle blood. Important for the process is the subsequent, daylong hitting with a very heavy wooden stick. The jacket crackles mysteriously and will ensure that its wearer is not so easily lost. This jacket is for a child that is around 5 years old.

Size: approx 116, 100% cotton, hand dyed, late 20th century
Length: 50 cm, width: about 39 cm, range from sleeve to sleeve 90 cm

read more about the Dong