Local Culture:

Batik

Anshun is reputed as "the hometown of batik." Take the stockade village called Rock as an example, almost 80% of the household own dye vat. Girls of Buyi nationality usually start to learn the skills of batik when they are just twelve or thirteen years old, therefore almost each woman has a good command of batik.

Batik art was originated in Spring-Autumn Period and Warring States, almost 2700 years ago; the art was prevalent in Han and Tang Dynasty and prevailing in Song and Yuan Dynasty. At present, a batik covering of fan by Miao nationality treasured in royal palace of Qing Dynasty is exhibited in Beijing Palace Museum.

Batik craftsmen can achieve the art in two ways: encaustic painting and wax dying. Copper knife is the usual tool to make encaustic painting. The craftsmen usually dip the knife with some hot propolis and then draw any images as they like without any draft. Natural creatures and rivers are always their favorite. At last, the painter will color the images so that they look vivid. The procedure of wax dying is a little more complex than encaustic painting, while the images and style are more like a masterpiece of an impressionist.

Since batik is a traditional folk art in almost every minority ethnic group of Guizhou province, naturally it has diverse characteristics. The images of Miao nationality look like armor and words, abstract or impressionism; Buyi nationality always favor totems, such as sun, cloud, thunder and drum.

The batik can be taken as materials of bags, bed sheet, hangings, covering of fan, hat and fashionable clothes, which are favored by many foreign tourists.