Russian students pose for a group photo with blue-and-white cloths. [Photo/sipaphoto.com]

Thirteen exchange students from Russia, who are studying at the Economics and Management School of Nantong University, visited the local Blue Calico Museum Dec 14 and got to know the world of blue and white. 

Blue calico, or the blue allover printing and dyeing technique, is a national intangible cultural heritage that has been practiced since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). 

The Russian students were introduced to the history behind the technique and tried their hands at making a scarf, which included engraving their desired patterns on a plate, mixing paste made of soybean flour and lime powder, dyeing the indigo blue onto the cloth, and scraping out the paste to make the cloth blue and white. 

The activity was organized to enhance the students' understanding of traditional Chinese techniques and experience the beauty of blue and white, as well as the charm of intangible cultural heritages. 

Blue cloth with a design in white is popular among farmers because of its wear resistance and sweat absorption. It plays an important role in farm life and is widely used in daily life. About 95 percent of rural families in Nantong use self-woven white cloth to dye into blue calico and then use it in various household applications.