Dali tie-dying workshop combines tradition with fashion

With the dream to pass on the traditional tie-dying culture, Zhang Hanmin and her husband have established a workshop at their hometown in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan province.

Having studied and worked in Beijing for several years, the couple decided to make a living through the ancient craftsmanship, while passing this traditional culture to tourists and young people.

Therefore, they set up the workshop named “Lanxu”. In Chinese, “Lan” is the color of blue, and “Xu” means sustainable development, and the name represents Zhang Hanmin’s dream.

There are just a few of staff members working in Zhang’s workshop. But many skillful tie-dying women in the village contribute to the online and offline product orders from the workshop which in turn helps increase their incomes. 

Today, the most popular “must-do” in her workshop is DIY tie-dying. Tourists usually find the workshop by recommendations. They try to make a tie-dying artwork by themselves and buy some fashionable souvenirs.

Zhang Hanmin believes that everyone is an excellent interpreter, disseminator, safeguard and practicer of the tie-dying tradition.

(Report by Wang Huan, video by Li Wenjun, photos by Yang Zheng)