The beautiful small town Phoenix is located in the western part of Hunan Province.
In history, it was a place inhabited by the Miao ethnic group. Many noted
people were born in this ancient town, including writer Shen Congwen, Painter
Huang Yongyu, philanthropist and politician Xiong Xiling. What’s more it has
also enjoyed a reputation of extraordinary fine printing and dyeing craftwork
for a long time. The local people use dyestuff drawn from plants to print
and dye various patterns of birds, dragons, phoenixes and others on home-made
cloth. Consequently, the town has become the home place for craftsmen of the
trade. Liu Dapao is one of the well-known masters in this ancient town.Liu’s
family has been in the trade for more than one hundred years. The story he
told is the epitome of every other folk master of his age. Thanks to the masters
like Liu, who have carried out and further the craftwork, we can today appreciate
the special value of the art.
