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Chinese Scottish Tartans Page
The Chinese Scottish Tartan was originally created to strengthen the links between Scotland and China. It was Consul General Madame Guo Guifang who inspired the tartan design, as she said that tartan was key to the appeal Scotland held for Chinese Tourists.
Chinese Scottish Tartans
1 variationsEach tartan can have multiple variations, the most common of which are Ancient, Modern, Weathered, Hunting and Dress
About tartan variations
- Ancient
- Modern
- Weathered
- Hunting
- One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if
Ancient Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans, mossy greens and sky blues, a more orangey red and some would say showing off the pattern to much greater effect as as the contrasts are much brighter than the Modern tartans. The pattern or sett remains the same across all variations of a single tartan, and only the shades or tones vary.
Helpful Advice
Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.
Modern Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans. Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.
Helpful Advice
The Modern tartans are often the more subtle combinations such as the classic Black Watch Modern
Weathered Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer, more earthy colours typical of the Weathered tartans, reminiscent of bolder colours subjected to wind, rain and sunshine producing beautiful faded tones, olive greens and browns, and very light blues with reds that are more pink than red.
Helpful Advice
Some mills refer to the Weathered tartans as Muted.
Hunting Tartan
The Hunting Tartans are the camouflage tartans and some clans don't have these variations because they are already predominantly green or brown and don't need amendment to blend in with nature's colours. The Black Watch or Gunn tartans are examples of these, whereas a tartan such as the Fraser is predominantly red and would not provide much cover for men out hunting.
Helpful Advice
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if you need an exact match we suggest you order a swatch to double check.
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if Tartan
The Dress Tartans were designed as the name suggests for celebrations and highland dance. The sett or pattern of the tartan remains the same and the main colour is changed to white, or extra white is added to the pattern to give it a brighter, more "fancy" appearance. The Scots do like to bend the rules and occasionally instead of white thread, yellow is used and this is where the rather wild MacLeod Dress Modern and Barclay Dress Modern came from.
Helpful Advice
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if you need an exact match we suggest you order a swatch to double check.
From the start
Chinese Scottish Tartan Origins & History
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The colors of the Chinese Scottish Tartan
The Chinese-Scottish tartan incorporates the colors of the Scottish Saltire together with the red and yellow of the Chinese Flag. Green bands interweave to celebrate the links between Scottish and Chinese botanists in the Royal Botanic Gardens of Edinburgh - home to the world's largest collection of Chinese plants outside China itself. The yellow crosses the red in five places which signifies the five stars of the Chinese Flag, the biggest and brightest being represented by the yellow cross in the middle of the red.
Let's talk about the launch of the Chinese Scottish tartan...
Officially unveiled in Angus on the 6th April (National Tartan Day) in 2006, Angus provost Bill Middleton said: "The new Chinese-Scottish tartan symbolises the co-operation and harmony that exists between Chinese people and Scottish people everywhere.
The Cherchen Man
China's 3,000 Year old link to Tartan
China's link to tartan goes back almost 3,000 years to the Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang, China when a group of travelers following the ancient Silk Road were killed during a sand storm. Their mummified remains were discovered near the town of Qiemo in the 20th century perfectly preserved due to the arid climate. Now known as the Tarim mummies, the Caucasian travellers are famous for their European-like facial features and clothing. One of the mummies, known as the Cherchen Man is believed to have been aged around fifty years at the time of his death and was found wearing a red tunic and leggings with a pattern resembling tartan!
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