Using natural materials for textile dyeing has long been an important expression of Hakka culture. Like many Hakka communities across South China, villagers in Mui Tsz Lam traditionally used Chinese Indigo (Strobilanthes cusia) and Yam (Dioscorea cirrhosa) for natural dyeing. Indigo dyeing produced blue textiles, while garments dyed with Yam became known as "Black senshaw"(黑膠綢).
Although the village was once abandoned, Chinese Indigo and Yam can still be found growing around Mui Tsz Lam today.
In collaboration with artist Benjamin Hao, the project aims to research, preserve, and continue these traditional dyeing practices through local cultivation, material gathering, and practical dye-making processes, while exploring the relationship between forest ecology, village life, and traditional production knowledge.
The project includes:
1. Local Survey and Cultivation
Conducting continued surveys of dye plants within the village and cultivating representative species such as Chinese Indigo and Yam to deepen understanding of traditional dyeing materials from their ecological origins.
2. In-depth Research
Documenting and organizing traditional Hakka natural dyeing knowledge in the Hing Chun Alliance region through interviews and archival research, particularly traditions related to indigo-dyed Hakka clothing and Yam dyeing techniques.
3. Natural Dye Production
Using locally sourced natural materials from surrounding villages to extract dyes and prepare fermentation vats. Dye plants are collected from Mui Tsz Lam and nearby areas, fructose is derived from overripe fruits gathered from Lai Chi Wo, Mui Tsz Lam, and Kop Tong, while shell lime is used in preparing dye vats. The process does not pollute the environment and represents an ecologically sustainable production model.
4. Public Sharing and Creative Practice
Producing public manuals documenting these techniques and inviting artists from different disciplines to transform the cultural knowledge and practices into creative works.
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