Jiama stuck onto a Dye Vat

Jiama stuck onto a Dye Vat

A finished dyed red paper with a image of two men and a bridge.

These four pictures were taken in a dye house that hosts dye workshops, which are really popular. Many Chinese celebrities have visited here. The main dye material is Ban Lan Gen (Isatis Tinctoria), which gives a rich blue color that looks like ultramarine. People put Jiama paper on the vats in order to seek protection from the gods. In the photo, one can see the god of roads and god of bridges, probably because transportation is important for getting the plant dyes and various other materials.