Visitors to Zhoucheng are eager to leave imprint on Bai-style fabrics

Under the eaves of a courtyard in Zhoucheng village of the Dali Bai autonomous prefecture, Yunnan province, Zhang Hanmin bent over a piece of plain white cloth, her fingers moving steadily as she stitched tiny knots into the fabric.

Around her, long strips of blue and white cloth swayed in the wind, their butterfly and pine tree patterns catching the bright plateau sunlight. More fabric hung nearby, casting dancing shadows on the stone-paved courtyard.

For Zhang, an inheritor with more than 10 years of experience and founder of Lanxu, a tie-dye brand, the cloth is more than a decorative fabric; it is a language of daily life, ritual and memory for the Bai people.

"You can see it everywhere in local homes, from curtains and tablecloths to bedding and decorative furnishings," she said.

In Zhoucheng, that connection is visible across courtyards, workshops and families. Known as the largest natural Bai ethnic village in China, Zhoucheng was named the "Hometown of Ethnic Tie-dye Art" by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 1996.

Today, the village is home to more than 4,000 tie-dye artisans, who have carried the craft's blue-and-white patterns across generations.

The process begins with plain white cloth. Artisans stitch, knot and bind the fabric by hand before dipping it into dye vats. When the knots are loosened and the cloth is unfolded, patterns emerge — butterflies, pine trees and other motifs shaped by the pressure of thread, the depth of the dye and the patience of the maker.

In Bai communities, those patterns are not only decorative. According to Zhang, tie-dye accompanies people through some of the most significant moments in their lives.

During the Benzhu Festival, for example, villagers drape tie-dyed cloth over statues of their patron gods as a sign of respect and homage, praying for peace, good harvests and prosperity. When a child is born or celebrates their first birthday, families prepare a square baby wrap adorned with bagua, or the Eight Trigrams, which is believed to protect the child. Tie-dye also appears at weddings, funerals and other important family occasions.

"When we create each piece, we are preserving our traditions and expressing our pride in Bai culture," Zhang said. That sense of pride stems not only from the craft's role in daily and ceremonial life, but also from its long history.

Records indicate that the ancestors of the Bai people had already developed textile techniques during the Neolithic age. In the first half of the 20th century, household tie-dye workshops had become widespread across Zhoucheng and neighboring towns such as Xizhou, turning the region into a well-known tie-dyeing center.

Today, the ancient craft is finding new vitality among younger generations and visitors from around the world.

In Zhoucheng, tie-dyed products have evolved to encompass contemporary fashion and lifestyle items such as T-shirts, dresses and decorative ornaments, expanding beyond traditional household use. The familiar blue-and-white patterns that once appeared mainly on curtains, tablecloths and bedding can now be seen in daily life in new forms.

At Zhang's workshop, tourists arrive daily to experience the slow, meditative process of stitching, binding and dyeing fabric by hand. Some spend hours creating their own patterns, immersing themselves in the village's cultural atmosphere.

Many visitors are also attracted by the environmentally friendly materials used in the process.

"Cotton, linen, silk and bamboo fibers can all be naturally dyed with indigo to produce shades ranging from pale blue to deep navy, with soft, vintage tones that age gracefully over time," said Zhang.

The craft is also entering new commercial and cultural spaces beyond the village. In Lijiang, Yunnan province, cafe owner Li Jimin has incorporated tie-dye aesthetics into his business.

Inside his cafe, customers browse handcrafted ethnic accessories while enjoying Yunnan-produced coffee, tea and local specialties.

"Many overseas visitors stop by our cafe, including tourists from Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and Europe," Li said. "They are often drawn to the blue-and-white packaging because it feels different from what they see elsewhere, and many buy it as a gift to take home."

For Zhang, the appeal of tie-dye goes beyond aesthetics or commerce. She sees the craft as a bridge between people and cultures.

"People from many ethnic groups across China also come here to experience tie-dyeing," she said. "When they sit together in Yunnan and create something by hand, the craft becomes a way for different ethnic cultures to meet."