Xu Dongfang works on a traditional Chinese knot button in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, July 3, 2022. (Photo: China News Service/Lv Ming)

Xu Dongfang works on a traditional Chinese knot button in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, July 3, 2022. (Photo: China News Service/Lv Ming)

Xu Dongfang works on a traditional Chinese knot button in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, July 3, 2022. (Photo: China News Service/Lv Ming)

Xu Dongfang works on a traditional Chinese knot button in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, July 3, 2022. (Photo: China News Service/Lv Ming)

Xu Dongfang displays her hand-made Chinese knot buttons in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, July 3, 2022. (Photo: China News Service/Lv Ming)

Xu Dongfang displays her hand-made Chinese knot buttons in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, July 3, 2022. (Photo: China News Service/Lv Ming)

Xu Dongfang selects different colors of cords woven from cotton in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, July 3, 2022. (Photo: China News Service/Lv Ming)

Xu Dongfang works on a traditional Chinese knot button in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, July 3, 2022. (Photo: China News Service/Lv Ming) Xu began to learn the techniques of hand-made Chinese knot buttons in 2012 and opened her own studio in 2014. Knot buttons are a distinctive feature of traditional Chinese apparel. The buttons, usually made of cords woven from cotton, are widely used in the traditional garments of China, like the Qipao, or cheongsam. A change of style in the early Qing Dynasty is considered a watershed moment in the use of knot buttons.