Stunning textiles on display at Out of the Blue show

Cloths displayed at the Out of the Blue exhibition. [Photo by Wang Yun/For chinadaily.com.cn]

You also developed a matching code for those colors to make the clothes and other products more stunning. "We will hold lectures on the beauty of the color blue to teach those who love the color how to make the most of it," You said.

The tie-dye technique used a lot in dying blue cloth is an ancient Chinese art, which originated between the Qin and Han dynasties (221-220 BC). The technique had already been popular in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), used for silk. Antique fabrics from the Tang Dynasty are on display both at the British Museum and Todaiji, in Nara, Japan.

The technique is popular with ethnic groups such as the Miao, the Yao and the Zhuang minorities. Materials used for blue dye are mainly plants or minerals.