" It is difficult to say when ornamental knotting started in China. Fabrics and cords are not as durable asthe materials used in other arts and crafts, so early examples of Chinese knots have long turned to dust. Knotted rope belts, however, are known to have existed as long ago as 1122BCE (the Chou Dinasty). Pictures from the Han dinasty (200BCE - 220CE) show knots and bows on waist sashes; recently, decorative loops and knots have been found in tombs from that era. From 618 to 906CE knotting was beginning to be used to adorn other works of art, but the height of its popularity came during the Ching Dynasty (1644 to 1911CE), when knots adorned clothes, jewellery, furniture and other belongings of all classes, from rich to poor."
in, Chinese knots for beaded jewellery, by Suzen Millodot
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