Kaohsiung’s Meinong District was once a stronghold of the indigo dyeing industry in Taiwan during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). With the indigo plant locally grown on a large scale, there were three dyeing factories in this region, an indication of how prosperous the industry had been.

(Photo: Hakka Culture Development Center)

A local senior citizen said that, about 120 years ago, the indigo extracted from the plant was used as a colorant on the fabric of his great-grandfather’s Hakka blue shirts, but the indigo dyeing craft seemed to have disappeared during his grandfather’s generation.

Impacted by the rise of tobacco economy and the synthetic dye that replaced its natural counterpart, the indigo plant and dyeing craft vanished from Meinong’s industrial and cultural landscapes.

The indigo plant is the root of Hakka indigo dyeing culture. Trying to prevent the dyeing craft from becoming extinct, teachers and students of Meinong’s Guang Sing Elementary School (廣興國小) launched a program for reviving the indigo plant in 2014. Two years later, 600 dye plant seedlings were cultivated.

(Photo: CNA)

The indigo plant was an important cash crop in the area. It prefers a moist, high-temperature, full-sun environment, successfully adapting itself to the tropical climate of southern Taiwan. The plant’s leaves were usually harvested before sunrise for saturated blue pigment that wasn’t affected by photosynthesis.

Through the process of planting, extracting, and dyeing, members of the elementary school started to reconstruct the indigo-dyeing culture. They took the first step in revitalizing this almost lost craft with the support of the Parents' Association, Meinong District Office, and Farmers' Association, making the indigo revival movement a local big event. Guang Sing Elementary School has promoted the restoration of the cultural heritage over the years, integrating curriculums with designing handicrafts using the indigo dyed fabric, rediscovering the cultural significance of the indigo dye in Hakka culture.

The indigo dye has an inseparable relationship with Hakka people because of the classical Hakka blue shirt. During Hakka’s exodus, the ancient Chinese clothing was appropriately redesigned to remove physical restrictions. The washable and durable fabric of the altered clothing was dyed with the colorant from the indigo plant. Hence, the Hakka blue shirt, a unique ethnic wear, came into existence.