Wu prepares to make blue calico. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Wu Lingshu is a young inheritor of the thousand-year-old blue calico art in Nantong, which is often considered the home of this form of printing and dyeing.

Wu started explaining the ancient craft to visitors at her father's Blue Calico Museum when she was 10, and today she can repeat the explanation word for word.

In 2013, Wu returned to Nantong after receiving a master's degree to learn how to make blue calico from her father and also encouraged her husband to join her.

Wu dyes a piece of cloth. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Years of hard work finally paid off. Wu's works are made not only from untreated cotton, but also from linen, and integrate them with bamboo weaving. The handicraftswoman has used her works to make handbags, table cloth, and scarves.

Wu is devoted to rescuing blue calico remains and the patterns printed on blue calico. To date, she has saved 12,650 pieces of blue calico remains and 56,300 patterns. She has also trained nearly 400 blue calico makers around the country.

Over the past five years, Wu has been invited to introduce blue calico and showcase her skills on China Central Television 18 times.

The craft of dyeing and treating calico originated in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and reached its heyday during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Blue calico was once used by people across China, and the blue cloth has white patterns while the white cloth has blue patterns.