Pingxi Indigo Dyeing Workshop Introduction
In the early days, the pioneers who arrived in Pingxi were unaware of the rich black gold beneath their feet. Their daily lives relied on cultivating rice and sweet potatoes for food, while their source of income came from planting the indigo plant, which was made into indigo dye and sold to the mainland. The indigo plant, known as "Ma Lan," is a perennial plant of the knotweed family, commonly referred to as "mountain indigo" because it is often grown in mountainous areas. It is also called "Da Qing" due to its primary use as a dye for blue fabric. It blooms from November to February of the following year, with purple flowers, and thrives in warm and humid conditions, making Pingxi's climate suitable for the growth of the indigo plant. According to the 19th year of Showa in the old Taiwan Agricultural Handbook, the blue dye produced in Pingxi Township, Taipei Prefecture, had a purity of about 75-80%, known as "indigo," which is distinct from indigo mud from other areas. According to local cultural historians, the indigo industry in the Pingxi area mostly involves producing indigo dye, with only a few dyeing their own fabric and lacking a dyeing industry; thus, there are no sizable dyeing houses, but large-scale production of indigo is exported. To preserve the skills of their ancestors, the "Pingxi Indigo Dye Workshop" was established.
