China

In China since ancient times, formed a special outlook, which is based on a dualistic conception of life. The Chinese believed that the harmony of the universe created the Yin and Yang (Earth and Sky, male and female incarnation of the universe). In art, the embodiment of this interaction was the image of a dragon with "flaming pearl", as well as a combination of geometric shapes, including circles and squares. The idea of ​​a harmonious state of peace embodied leyven pattern (reminiscent of the ancient square wave), as well as the eight trigrams Bagua (a combination of intermittent and continuous lines). These decorative elements can be seen in bronze and stone vessels of the ancient Chinese art. Among the works for a drink cups gu sacrificial wine period of Shang Tsung vessels, made from the sacred to the Chinese jade, four-sided shape with trigrams (symbolizing earth) and the circular discs Bi (Sky), relating to the period of Warring States.

China has a long tradition of carpets and the original ones, probably used as merchandise, are dated at over 2.000 years ago, and were used as carpets for the imperial courts. The art of knotting carpets was however, introduced somewhere around the 15th and 17th century in China.

The patterns on some of the older Chinese carpets are often taken from the patterns of the porcelain painters and from silks. In some cases the patterns also show old religous symbols with distinguished dragon patterns. The symbols in these carpets ocassionally have
 taostic or buddhistic origins.

Thin warp threads of cotton can often be found in the elderly carpets, which together with rough pile yarn gives large knots and carpets that are fairly thick, but also soft and flexible. These carpets are manufactured in the provinces of Kansu, Ningxia, Suiyan and in Inner Mongolia near the city of Baotou (Baotou carpets, often in small sizes, characterized by landscape and symbolic motifs with blue in different nuances as a dominating colours). Later on Shansi-, Hopei- and Shantung provinces were added as some of the manufacturing provinces.