NINGBO, China -- While Chinese nowadays are used to the standard Pantone colors, their ancestors enjoyed a far richer array of "poetic" colors inspired by nature. In the Southern Tang dynasty, for instance, the color "heaven-water green" was accidentally discovered when a swath of green silk became drenched by dew overnight. Since dew was considered water from heaven, this gentle shade of green became a playful invention of nature.
Life
Rediscovering 'tipsy cheek' and other forgotten Chinese colors
Hues of ancient times possessed a poetry sadly missing in today's Pantone world
Fabrics dyed using traditional techniques hang to dry at a dyehouse in Sichuan Province, China. (Courtesy of Liu Yan)
Read Next
Latest on Life
