Changshun county is a remote area of Guizhou province home to a group of Bouyei people who have a unique craft art. They create precious sweet gum batik with white patterns and blue backgrounds.

An ethnic Bouyei woman weaves sweet gum batik.[Photo/chinanews.com]

Sweet gum batik, with a history of 200 years, is dyed with natural plant indigo. It can be considered a symbolic folk art of the Bouyei people.

The complete sweet gum batik [Photo/chinanews.com]

The manufacturing process of sweet gum batik is very complicated. Sweet gum oil, extracted from the sweet gum tree, is used as material to draw patterns on pure white cloth. The gum also protects patterns painted on cloth from dye. The whole cloth, with patterns on it, is drenched in blue dye water.

It is a process done completely by hand and takes more than 10 days.

Zhou Houguo, an ethnic Bouyei from Changshun county, has set up his own factory to produce sweet gum batik.

Zhou is a promoter of Bouyei culture. "There are still few people who know about Bouyei folk arts," he said."I will do my best to promote our culture, and I have a dream to inherit and promote the craft."