Wax printing (also called batik) is a mechanical method of blocking colouring agents by the wax in the place where it is applied warm, often under the shape of a geometrical motive or an artistic representation (going from a flower to a human face)at   a chosen part of some fabric.

Once the wax is dry enough, the fabric is plunged under cold conditions into a tank of soluble colouring agents. The process of dye is ended, the completely dry fabric is then washed in the warm water to dissolve the wax and highlight the motives, (drawings, images, etc.) in a colour contrasting with the dye colour.

Wax printing, which is known as the first printing in the East, is the most ancient handicraft in China and it is perceived as an important part of China's ancient civilization.

Chinese batik has a recorded history of more than 2,000 years. Indigo-dyed batik first appeared during the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220).

Certainly, batik was practiced in China as early as the Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618), and it is highly probable that silk batiks were exported to Japan, to central Asia and, via the silk route, to the Middle East and India.

It is sure that wax was used as a resist extensively in China. Today it still flourishes. Indigo batik is widely practiced as a folk art and is confined to the nomadic tribes who live on either side of the South China border.

These areas have maintained their social customs and traditions to this day, despite the influence of the predominantly Han culture.

The minority tribes of these provinces live in inaccessible mountain terrain and have developed a distinctive batik art. The principal ethnic groups are the Miao of Guizhou province and the Bai and Yi of Yunnan provinces. The girls learn the craft from their mothers.