Books by Wu Lingshu about blue calico cloth. [Photo/WeChat account: ntwgx6]

Nantong's ancient blue calico cloth making techniques are being integrated into various aspects of contemporary life in a fresh new way, and CCTV Channel 4 recently aired a documentary telling the story of Wu Lingshu, a practitioner of the craft.

After graduating from the Chinese Academy of Arts, Wu resolutely entered the workshop, studying the tradition alongside her father, Wu Yuanxin, and innovating within it. Day after day, for 20 years, Wu has brought forth a fashionable brilliance from traditional craftsmanship, from engraving and paste scraping to dyeing, and from pattern design to garment making.

The Butterflies in Love with Flowers series, created by Wu and her husband Ni Shenjian, utilizes the "ready-to-wear dyeing" technique. Using ready-to-wear garments as canvas, they carefully dye specific areas. After dozens of dyeing processes, the garment presents a dreamy gradient from light to dark blue, depicting a freehand picture of butterflies dancing among flowers on the clothing, blending the traditional subtle beauty with modern minimalist style.

In recent years, Wu has led the Yuanxin Blue team on visits to the major blue calico fabric villages across China. They have preserved over 60,000 pieces of blue calico fabric on the verge of extinction, collected more than 200,000 patterns, established the nation's first blue calico fabric pattern database, and published over 10 academic works. They have innovated nearly 1,000 blue calico fabric patterns, covering six major series including clothing, bags, wall hangings, handicrafts, and footwear.

From a piece of fabric to a garment, Wu interprets the living inheritance of intangible cultural heritage with craftsmanship. Today, this ancient craft has become a cultural bond connecting the past and the future.