Playable heritage game

Chinese knotting

Also known as 中国结 · decorative cord knots

Chinese knotting ties a single length of cord, usually red silk, into symmetrical flat knots such as the button, cloverleaf, double coin and pan chang. Pieces are hung as ornaments or used as fasteners and tassels on clothing.

Play the preview About this tradition

Chinese knotting: photograph by Ucla90024 — Photo: Ucla90024, CC BY-SA 3.0, source on Wikimedia Commons

Chinese knotting: the game in attract mode

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How to play

The framed picture shows the finished knot: one red cord, with a tassel.
Gold rings mark the crossings the cord must make. Tap or drag from point to point to lay the cord; where it crosses itself it passes over, then under, and the gaps are drawn for you.
Pass straight through every ring twice, once across and once up and down.
Tap the first point to close the cord into a loop, then press Check.

Rules at a glance

The cord is one piece: no stretch between two points is used twice.
A crossing counts when the cord passes straight through that point twice.
Three stars need every marked crossing made and the cord closed into a loop.

About the tradition

Cord knotting in China goes back to antiquity and spread as clothing decoration under the Tang and Song dynasties, becoming a household art under the Qing. Knotters work in silk or cotton cord, mostly red, often adding beads, jade or a tassel.

Origins

A living tradition passed from person to person; it is not tied to a single dated origin. It belongs to the cultural world of China.

Credits

Craft model: World Heritage Games (original)
Photo: Ucla90024, CC BY-SA 3.0, source on Wikimedia Commons
Text: CC BY-SA 4.0, World Heritage Games.

Sources

commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chinese_Knot_P4R.jpg

Get the app

Chinese knotting is one of 20 paper and paint crafts in the Paper & Paint of the World app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Submitted to the App Store and Google Play; in review. Store links appear here the day it goes live. One app, many traditions, no account needed.

See all 20 paper and paint crafts in the app

In review on theApp StoreIn review on theGoogle Play

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