Chinese Knotting is an ancient art form and artifacts can be found as far back as 100,000 years ago.  Chinese people used knots for more than just fastening, wrapping, hunting, fishing.  Knots were also used to record events, and some knots had purely ornamental functions.

Chinese Knotting is based on over a dozen basic knots, and they are named according to their distinctive shapes, usages, or origins.  The 12 basic knots are Double Coins, Double Connection, Wanze, Cross, Good Luck, Cloverleaf, Button, Pan-Chang, Double Loop, Round Brocade, Plafong, and Flat Knot.

The Double Coins Knot is named because it is shaped like two overlapping coins of the kind once used in ancient China.  The Button Knot can actually work as a button. The Pan-Chang Knot- usually a series of continuous loops- is symbolizes the Buddhist conception of continuity and the origin of all things.  In all of the basic Knots, the Pan-Chang Knot is the primary knot of Chinese Knotting upon which an endless number of variations can be made.

The knots of Chinese Knotting are pulled quite tightly.  They do not easily come undone when used to bind or wrap something, so they are very practical.  Furthermore, the complicated structure of Chinese Knotting allowed for all kinds of variations and enhances its decorative value.  Almost all the basic knots are in symmetrical form.

Except for the Double Coins Knot, Chinese Knotting is three dimensional in structure.  It is comprised of two planes which are tied together to leave a hollow center. Such a structure lends rigidity to the work as a whole and keeps its shape when hung on the wall.  The hollow center also allows for the addition of precious stones. 

Crafting Chinese Knotting is a three-step process of tying knots, tightening them, and adding the finished touches.  Knot tying methods are fixed, but the length of any loops, the smoothness and orderliness of lines.  Thus, how well a piece of Chinese Knotting has been tightened can demonstrate the skill and artistic merit of a Knotting artist.  To finish a knot, inlaying pearls or other precious stones, starching the knot into certain patterns, or adding any other final touches are needed.

Chinese Knotting has decorated both the fixtures of palace halls and the daily implements of countryside households.  It has appeared also in paintings, sculptures, and other pieces of folk art. 

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