Three-Blue Carpet

Three-Blue Carpet

　　Baotou was the first region in Inner Mongolia to weave carpets from wool. During the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, two masters surnamed Xing and Tang came from Ningxia and began teaching carpet-weaving techniques. It was only later that these techniques spread to Guisui (now Hohhot). The earliest carpet workshops in Baotou included Sanhehe, followed by more than 20 others such as Tianhoucheng, Shuangjiqing, Jiqinggong, Qianyicheng, Tongyichang, and Xiangji.

　　The Three-Blue Carpets woven in Baotou have three main characteristics: First, they are made from wool yarn dyed with local "Fushuyuan" earth-blue indigo. This earth-blue-dyed yarn never fades, is resistant to wind and sun, and the color becomes even more vibrant with age—people call it the "true color." The dye workshop uses earth-blue indigo to dye the wool yarn into three shades: dark blue, light blue, and medium blue. Carpets woven using these three blues are thus called Three-Blue Carpets. Second, the Three-Blue Carpets are mainly woven from sheep’s wool yarn (preferably lamb’s wool), which gives the carpets a soft and lightweight texture. Third, the carpet patterns are “samples from heaven, woven on earth”—the designs are inspired by nature, including landscapes, auspicious clouds, birds, animals, flowers, as well as elements like musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, and painting.