Yunjin (), Nanjing brocade or cloud brocade, is a traditional Chinese luxury silk

brocade Brocade is a class of richly decorative shuttle-woven fabrics, often made in colored silks and sometimes with gold and silver threads. The name, related to the same root as the word " broccoli", comes from Italian ''broccato'' meaning "emb ...

made in

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and t ...

since the end of the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...

, and based on

weft Warp and weft are the two basic components used in weaving to turn thread or yarn into fabric. The lengthwise or longitudinal warp yarns are held stationary in tension on a frame or loom while the transverse weft (sometimes woof) is dra ...

-weaving techniques from both the Song and

Tang Tang or TANG most often refers to: * Tang dynasty * Tang (drink mix) Tang or TANG may also refer to: Chinese states and dynasties * Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) ...

dynasties. It is shuttle-woven, and often incorporates gold and silver threads with the coloured silks. During the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

, the yunjin weavers developed a technique of

swivel weaving The Swivel Weave is a weaving technique that incorporates a decorative element into the fabric by using small shuttles that insert additional weft thread around selected warp threads, while the main weft thread forms the fabric's structure. This m ...

that enabled them to weave colourful designs onto a base fabric in other weaves, such as

satin A satin weave is a type of fabric weave that produces a characteristically glossy, smooth or lustrous material, typically with a glossy top surface and a dull back. It is one of three fundamental types of textile weaves alongside plain weave ...

. In 2009, Nanjing brocade was selected into the representative list of oral and intangible heritage of humanity at

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

History

The history of brocade in Nanjing can be traced back to the

Three Kingdoms period The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the We ...

(220-280). In a war, which broke out at the end of the

Eastern Jin Dynasty Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

(317-420), General Liu Yu defeated the Xi'an-based

Later Qin The Later Qin (; 384–417), also known as Yao Qin (), was a state ruled by the Qiang ethnicity of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin dynasty (266–420) in China. The Later Qin is entirely distinct from the Qin dynasty, the Former Qin and the W ...

kingdom (384-417). The victory brought all the craftsmen in Xi'an back to Jiankang, now Nanjing City, among whom brocade-weavers were a dominant force. The brocade weavers were top craftsmen nationwide and had learned many skills from minority ethnic groups. The Eastern Jin government had set up a special brocade office in Nanjing to manage the production of the brocade, which represented the formal establishment of Nanjing brocade. In the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

, "Jiangning Weaving Department" was established in Nanjing. When Nanjing Yunjin weaving peaked, it had more than 30,000 looms and nearly 300,000 people made a living in these fields. It was Nanjing's largest handicraft industry at that time.

Features

Nanjing yunjin brocade is regarded as one of the best forms of silk. It is famous for its cloud-like colours and intricate patterns. Nanjing yunjin brocades are famous for their exquisite technology, elegant patterns and smooth texture. The patterns is various and as beautiful as the cloud in the sky; therefore its name "Yunjin".

References

Textile arts of China Culture in Jiangsu Culture in Nanjing Figured fabrics Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity {{textile-arts-stub

History

Features

See also

References