Rabbit-shaped stuffed toys made of blue calico cloth. [Photo provided to nantong.gov.cn]

Rabbit-shaped stuffed toys made of blue calico cloth by the Nantong Blue Calico Museum recently debuted in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, to welcome the upcoming Year of the Rabbit.

Blue calico, a kind of untreated cotton, features blue cloth with white patterns and white cloth with blue patterns and is often used for wrapping, tablecloths and bedsheets.

Rabbit-shaped stuffed toys made of blue calico cloth. [Photo provided to nantong.gov.cn]

In addition to blue and white, the stuffed toys feature red ears and bellies for the holidays.

Rabbit-shaped stuffed toys made of blue calico cloth. [Photo provided to nantong.gov.cn]

Zodiac art is an important part of traditional Chinese culture. Since 1996, it has been a tradition for the Nantong Blue Calico Museum to design and make zodiac mascots with blue calico cloth, according to Ni Shenjian, deputy director of the museum.

The craft of dyeing and treating calico in Nantong originated during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and reached its heyday during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

Stuffed toys made of blue calico cloth. [Photo provided to nantong.gov.cn]

In 2006, the Nantong blue calico dyeing craft was listed as a national-level intangible cultural heritage item.

Ni said that to promote such an ancient crafting technique, the museum will organize different experiential activities for children of different ages this year.