As the earliest natural plant fiber used for weaving by humans, linen had the alias of "Woven Moonlight" as early as the ancient Egyptian period. At that time, it was believed that the more simple the color of natural fabrics, the more pure the clothing made, so there was a poetic description of linen called "woven with moonlight fabric", and strongly praised its natural and pure characteristics, and rich luster texture.
Flax plants grown on farms in France
This poetic name has also become the name of an exhibition that tells the history and culture of the past and present lives of flax.
For China, flax is a foreign product. It originated in Egypt more than 10,000 years ago as a plant grown along the Nile River. Egypt was also the first country to make fabrics from linen. Over time, such a fabric spread to Europe, appearing everywhere from the altars of the Imperial Chamber in ancient Rome to the daily lives of ordinary people on the shores of a Neolithic Swiss lake. By the beginning of the 10th century, flax fiber had begun to circulate as a commodity in the market, and the production of raw flax and the trade of products reached a peak.
Flax pickers during a harvest in the former Soviet autonomous Republic of Mali during the 1930s.
In history, linen was once a symbol of wealth, like crystal and silver. Louis XIV of France would use linen every day, soaked in perfume to wipe the body, and would change a dozen sets of linen clothes. In addition, in order to show the luxurious living habits, the upper class will deliberately let the white linen tablecloth hang to the ground when dining, even if it is dirty, it does not mind.
As reflected in the story of Louis XIV, flax was redoubled in France. During the reign of Napoleon, in order to solve the problem of public clothing, the government offered a reward of millions of francs to encourage people to invent a spinning machine that could produce better linen textiles. At that time, in order to allow poor women to have linens for marriage, the French society even created the "bride dowry fund" system, that is, girls from 8 years old to 21 years old, need to raise 0.5 francs a month, they can get money and linens when they get married. It included six sheets, six pillowcases, a dozen dish towels, a dozen rags, a dozen hand wipes, a dozen bath towels, linen table MATS and some clothes. Finally, in 1810, the French Philippe Henri de Girard invented the wet spinning frame, and the linen textile industry has since flourished and entered the field of people's life with a wider range of uses.
In general, the world's growing fiber flax countries are mainly concentrated in the range of 45-65° north latitude, which is why the Normandy region of northern France is generally considered to be the golden area of flax cultivation. The humid temperate maritime climate, uniform and stable precipitation and temperature, flat and open terrain, and fertile soil all provide a unique natural environment for flax growth.
Generally, flax is sown in April and harvested in August. To obtain the full fiber length, flax is often uprooted, spread in the field, and subjected to 15 to 25 days of dew-retting, the process of separating the flax fibers in the pectin layer from the epidermis and the lignin in the middle. During the retting time, rain and dew often wet the hemp rod, and the sun is dried again, and the cycle is alternating again and again, coupled with the fermentation of microorganisms, the flax fiber is gradually stripped from the skin and wood core, with the color of earth, showing a mottled beige gray. This is also what we often describe as the "rain color" of flax.
