Jiaxie (clamp-resist dyeing or Jiaran), one of the most ancient Chinese dyeing techniques, originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), and is similar in principle to the Zharan and Laran, but more complicated. Traditionally, two symmetrical carved concave blocks are used to clamp the folded cloth and dip it into a vat of dye with the help of a large lever. The result is cloth with the same pattern dyed onto two sides. After dyeing, the cloth is removed from the woodblock clamps and rinsed. Jiaxie prevailed in the Tang (618-907) and Song Dynasty (960-1279); it was used to produce a variety of multi-colored silk products. The officials and soldiers used Jiaxie as a sign in their service uniform to differentiate each other. Due to its wonderful colors, Tang Dynasty poets frequently adopted Jiaxie as a subject for their poems.
The sculptures of Bodhisattvas in the Dunhuang Grottoes, in northwest China's Gansu Province, are often depicted in jiaxie (clamp-resist dyed) silk dresses. The technique went into decline after the Song Dynasty (960-1279) when multi-colored designs were gradually replaced by simple indigoes and white.
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