Oriental Rugs Dictionary

Ninghsia

Ninghsia is a town on the northern borders of China in the province of Ningxia, and rug making in the area has been traced back to the Ming dynasty 1368-1644. The carpets produced in this area are the classic Chinese carpets. They usually have yellow or pink grounds with blue designs. Carpets were woven for Tibetan and Chinese Buddhist temples and monasteries throughout China, and unlike their Islamic counterparts woven in Turkey and Persia, were designed with Buddhist, Taoist, and general mystical and mythological motifs and symbols. Like Samarkand in Central Asia, Ninghsia is positioned on an important trade route. As a result all the rugs sold in the town became known as Ninghsia, and the name became the generic term for a good quality Chinese rug.

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