At 15:40 on March 23, the astronaut crew of Shenzhou 13 cooperated with each other to conduct the second lesson of Tiangong Classroom. While in orbit, astronauts also brought tie-dying, a traditional and unique Chinese folk craft, to the space station. Let us take a closer look at the details and mysteries of tie-dying in space.
Space tie-dye: witness the wonderful integration of traditional culture and modern technology
Astronaut Wang Yaping said: “Hello, classmates, I am space teacher Wang Yaping. Last time I taught in space, I showed you the surface tension of liquids in a weightless environment. You can see that you can use pure water to make things in a weightless environment. A large water polo that cannot be done on the ground. Today I want to show you another interesting phenomenon. This phenomenon is also related to an intangible cultural heritage of our country. Please observe carefully.”
Wang Yaping first demonstrated the obvious difference between twisting towels in space and those on the ground. Under microgravity, the magical phenomenon of water adhering to hands, and explained the capillary adsorption effect, paving the way for the introduction of tie-dying techniques.
Wang Yaping said: “Here I would like to introduce to you one of our intangible cultural heritages – tie-dyeing. Tie-dying, also known as tie-dying and twisting, is a traditional and unique dyeing process. Generally speaking, it is divided into There are two parts for tying and dyeing.”
Next, the tie-dye demonstration that everyone was looking forward to began. Wang Yaping first uses yarn, thread, rope and other tools to tie, sew, tie, patch, clip and other operations on the fabric to keep the tied parts original color, and then dye the fabric with dyes such as isatis root.
Wang Yaping said: “The binding method directly affects the pattern of the final work and is a key step. Different binding methods can produce different tie-dye patterns. What kind of pattern can you guess I will tie in a while?”
Wang Yaping said: “Next we prepare the dye. This is the isatis dye powder needed for tie-dying. Mix it with water and it will be the dye we want to use.”
After the dyeing is completed, the binding part is disassembled to form a tie-dye work that is elegant, natural and rich in layers. Tie-dye has a long history and was very mature as early as the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Tie-dyed products were widely used in women’s clothing during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and tie-dyed textiles were even more popular during the Tang and Song Dynasties. In 2006, tie-dye technique was approved by the State Council and selected as a national intangible cultural heritage. Space tie-dying allowed the students to feast their eyes and learn more about the traditional culture of the motherland, and together they witnessed the wonderful integration of thousand-year-old traditional culture and modern technology.
Wang Yaping said: “Look, students, the blue and white tie-dye work is finished! Isn’t it very beautiful? This is my tie-dye work, and students can try different binding methods to make your own Make a unique tie-dye work! Looking forward to seeing what you share! See you next time!”
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