A knotted jewelry workshop was held last week, where students could sit down and craft their own traditional Chinese knot bracelets. Traditional Chinese knotting is a decorative form of art you can make with your hands.

The event was hosted by Confucius Institute instructor Maggie Deng. It was five dollars at the door for the supplies. You had the choice between many different colored cords.

“These take me about an hour to make,” Deng said.

She advised that it would take us longer since we weren’t sure what to do. Once she handed out a sheet of instructions, she demonstrated how to position each cord and how to twist them all together to create the knot we needed to end up with.

Deng went around the room and repositioned the cords and made sure each end was even before moving on.

“It was truly eye opening to see and learn about the past times of other cultures,” sophomore business major Walker Waddell said.

Deng showed a few photos of different styles of Chinese knots, going into detail about the differences of Chinese and American college.

“In China, you take classes with only students of your major. There are still electives but, in general, you’re with all the same people,” Deng said.

Overall, the experience was something you couldn’t get anywhere else. The atmosphere was relaxed and positive, and everyone was friendly. Once everyone was ready, we tightened our knots and made Chinese knotted bracelets.

“People usually have [different] knots hanging from their windows or doorframes [like windchimes],” Deng said.

If you’ve ever wanted to indulge in cultures unlike America’s, going to the workshops that UW-Platteville hosts are a great way to do so.