Lào_zi
Lào zi
Knotting craft in ancient China also used as clothing decoration
Lào zi (simplified Chinese: 络子; traditional Chinese: 絡子), also called Tāo zi (Chinese: 绦子), is an ancient appellation for knots in China.[1] In ancient Chinese literature, the Lào zi actually refers to what is now known as zhongguo jie (simplified Chinese: 中国结; traditional Chinese: 中國結; Hanyu Pinyin: zhōngguó jié; Tongyong Pinyin: li; lit. 'Chinese knots') in Chinese and Chinese knotting in English. The term Chinese knotting only became known in recent years when it was summarized by Lydia Chen in the 1980s.[2] It was a tradition to use the lào and/or tāo as a form of yaopei (lit. 'waist girdle ornament') in Hanfu where it was tied to the waist by using silk or cotton ribbon.[1]