Chapter 14 Section 3 The Silk Kingdom Floats the Rainbow

China is the earliest country in the world to raise silkworms and weave silk.In the 4th century BC, Chinese silk fabrics were already famous all over the world.The Romans at that time called China "Seres", which means the country of silk.Exactly when the Chinese discovered the technology of silkworm rearing and silk reeling, due to the long history, there is still no definite answer.According to literature records and archaeological excavations, it can be traced back to the primitive society of our country at least. It is said that in ancient times, the ancestors of the Han nationality lived in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River and used animal skins, feathers, and leaves as coverings.Once Lei Zu, the wife of the tribal leader Huangdi, discovered that there were silkworms spinning out silk to wrap herself in a mulberry tree. Inspired by this, she taught the people to raise silkworms, reel silk, weave silk and make clothes.This legend undoubtedly tells people that the history of silkworm raising and weaving silk has a long history, at least it happened in the period of three emperors and five emperors in China's primitive society.Archaeological discoveries have proved that cocoons and silk fabrics have been unearthed in Neolithic cultural sites about 5,000 years ago.For example, the Yangshao Culture and Longshan Culture in the Yellow River Basin, and the Majiabang Culture and Liangzhu Culture in the Yangtze River Basin all reflect the division of labor between agriculture and handicrafts, and silkworm cocoons from this period have also been unearthed. In 1926, Chinese archaeologists discovered a cocoon shell that had been cut by a knife in the remains of the Yangshao Culture in Xiyin Village, Xia County, Shanxi Province. In 1958, a batch of silk sheets, ribbons, silk threads, etc. were unearthed in Qianshanyang [yangyang], Wuxing County, Zhejiang Province, as well as a large amount of rice.It has been scientifically determined to be 5000 years ago.

In the Yin and Shang Dynasties, about 260 words related to silkworms, such as silkworm, mulberry, and silk, were mentioned in the oracle bone inscriptions with about 4,500 characters.After the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty, sericulture developed rapidly, which was described in many chapters of Feng, Ya and Song. The description in "Bin Feng·July" is particularly specific. "Shangshu Yugong" divides China into Kyushu, and records that six of them use silk products as tributes (actually referring to local specialties): Gongzhou (now Hebei and Shandong) tribute silk, Zhiwen (dyed silk weaving Qingzhou (present-day Shandong and Henan) tribute silk and 〔yanyan〕silk (tussah silk); Xuzhou (present-day Jiangsu, Anhui and Huaihe River) tribute Xuanxian onyx (black silk); Yangzhou (present-day Jiangsu) The Yangtze River Basin in Anhui) Gong Zhibei (brocade); Yuzhou (now Henan and Hubei) Gongxian (very thin and thin silk), 纩 (silk cotton); Jingzhou (now Hunan and Hubei) Gongxuan [xun smoked] (black and yellow silk).These records are roughly consistent with the silk cultural relics unearthed by Chinese archaeologists successively in Henan, Shaanxi, Hubei, and Hunan.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, due to the widespread use of ironware, the level of productivity was greatly improved and the development of agriculture and handicrafts was promoted.At that time, the Shandong Peninsula rapidly developed into an economically developed area that emphasizes agriculture, mulberry, and fishing and salt because of "along with mountains and seas, fertile soil for thousands of miles, suitable for mulberry and hemp".The Luo, Wan (wan Wan), Qi, and Onyx (Gao manuscripts) produced in Linzi, the capital of Qi State, are exquisite in craftsmanship and brilliant in color, and are known as "clothes with crowns and shoes in the world".Subsequently, Xiangyi (now Suxian County, Henan Province) also developed into a textile center, famous for producing various brocades.

In the early Han Dynasty, due to the sudden increase in the demand for silk fabrics, government-run silk production workshops began to appear.A weaving room was set up under the Shaofu to manage the east and west weaving rooms in Chang'an. In addition, a service office was set up in Linzi, Qi County, to produce Qixiu, Bingwan, and Fangkong (huhu) for the royal family. Crepe yarn), blown cotton and other high-grade fine silk fabrics.During Emperor Han Yuan (48-32 BC), there were thousands of silk weaving craftsmen.Due to the exquisite embroidery in Xiangyi, the royal family also set up a service bureau there.At this time, private workshops appeared one after another, the largest of which was Zhang An's home.There are more than 700 craftsmen in his workshop.The silk fabrics of the Han Dynasty were rich and varied, including Wan, Qi, Fen, Ti, Su, Onyx, silk, damask, yarn, Luo, satin, brocade, embroidery, etc.Yarn is especially popular, with a soft texture and as light as paper. In 1972, a gauze garment unearthed from Tomb No. 1 in Mawangdui, Changsha, Hunan Province, was 128 centimeters long, 190 centimeters long through the sleeves, and weighed only 49 grams, that is, less than one tael. The world is amazed.

In addition to being consumed by the upper class, silk in the Han Dynasty passed through Central Asia and then was transported to Europe through the "Silk Road".This road is divided into two: the south one departs from Chang'an, passes through Tianshui, Lanzhou, Ganzhou (now Zhangye, Gansu), Suzhou (now Jiuquan, Gansu) and goes out of Yumen Pass via Shanshan (now Kaklik, Ruoqiang County, Xinjiang), Yu Tian (now Hotan, Xinjiang), Shache, Shule (now Kashgar, Xinjiang), to Dawan (now the Fergana Basin of Central Asia); the north one goes out of Yumen Pass via Cheshi (now Turpan, Xinjiang), Qiuci (Qiuci Hill Words] (now east of Kuqa, Xinjiang) Dawan.The north and the south converge in Dawan, and then go to Daqin (Rome) through Haradah (Persia) and Tiaozhi (in today's Iraq).The Silk Road is a friendly road for cultural and economic exchanges between the East and the West.With the spread of Chinese silk to the west, Chinese silkworm breeding and silk weaving techniques were gradually introduced to the West.According to Western historical records, Julius Caesar of Rome (100 BC-44 BC) once wore a Chinese silk robe to go to a theater, which caused a sensation and aroused the envy of the audience, which is considered unprecedented. Luxurious move.In 552 A.D., the Byzantine Emperor Justinian (527-565 A.D.) specially sent two monks who were familiar with the situation in China to China and brought back the silkworm eggs. From then on, sericulture and silk weaving technology began to rise in the West.

The varieties of silk fabrics in Tang and Song dynasties increased again. For example, the damask silk produced in Zhejiang is very exquisite and is regarded as a treasure in silk weaving.Bai Juyi, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, praised in his poem "Liao Ling": "In front of the bright moon on Tiantai Mountain, there is a forty-five-foot waterfall spring. There are articles (that is, patterns) in it and they are amazing. The ground is covered with white fireworks and snow." It can be seen that Zhejiang is bright and beautiful. The lingering silk is like the white snow of the waterfall, which is breathtaking.After the Anshi Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty, silk products gradually flourished in the south of the Yangtze River.In the Tang Dynasty, there was also a kind of "Lianzhu Tuanke Pattern" and "Single Nest Wenling", which embroidered various lifelike animals, dragons, phoenixes, and kylins symbolizing auspiciousness on the satin surface.The brocade weaving industry developed in the Song Dynasty, the production of silk weaving and silk weaving were divided, and the number of private machine households and workshops increased.In the first year of Shaoxing in the Southern Song Dynasty (AD 1131), 390,000 pieces of silk were collected in Zhejiang and Hubei, and 2.73 million pieces of silk were collected in Sichuan, Guangzhou, Hunan, and Zhejiang.It can be seen from this that the silk weaving industry was on a large scale at that time.Dingzhou kesi (kesi) produced in the Northern Song Dynasty was once famous for a time. Kesi, also known as kesi, is specialized in weaving Buddha statues, figures, calligraphy and paintings, and patterns.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Fuzhou, and Lu'an (now Changzhi, Shanxi) set up many silk weaving workshops, with tens of thousands of craftsmen.The government has a silk handicraft workshop.The famous "Jiangnan Weaving" is the yamen established in Nanjing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou to prepare various silks used by the royal family.During this period, many new technologies and products were researched and created.Such as colorful silk - makeup flowers, colorful brocade, makeup flower velvet and gold color velvet, etc., the superb techniques are incomparable before.Silk trade continued to expand in Ming and Qing Dynasties.Zheng He's seven voyages to the Western Seas further made Chinese exquisite silk famous overseas, and spread to Southeast Asia, India, Persia, the coast of the Arabian Red Sea, and reached the east coast of Africa.In the 1920s and 1830s, China's silk exports surged, and the value of silk and silk products exported to Britain alone reached two to three million silver dollars.People call China the kingdom of silk.Contemporary China's silk export volume still ranks first in the world, and raw silk export volume accounts for 90% of the world's total export volume, and is sold in more than 130 countries and regions in Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.

Silk is the ancient name of various silk fabrics, and there are many varieties.From the organizational structure and appearance characteristics of the fabric, it can be divided into a. Spinning, also called spinning silk, which is a plain weave flower plain silk fabric. It is a silk fabric that uses the different viscosities of the silk strips to cause the silk surface to appear in a shrunken state.Such as Crepe Chine, Gongnong Crepe, Subi Crepe, etc.; c. Silk, silk and floral fabrics with general textures, such as weaving embroidery, Yimin silk, flower thread spring, etc.; d. Satin, the ground pattern is mostly satin weave Tissue floral silk fabrics, such as floral satin and plain satin; e. Brocade, the warp and weft are dyed before weaving, and the weft is more than three colors, and it is woven with satin weave jacquard; f. Satin, which is made of All kinds of floral silk fabrics with twill weave on the warp surface, such as feather yarn, beautiful silk, etc.; g. Luo, which is woven with rib weave, divided into straight and horizontal, such as Hangluo and Gangluo; h. Yarn , belongs to the floral silk fabric of Luo yarn organization, and all or part of the ground pattern and pattern are yarn holes.Such as Lushan yarn, georgette, sieve silk; i. silk, which is a kind of floral silk fabric with plain weave or other weaves. Due to the low density of warp and weft, it is very thin and transparent.Such as turban gauze, long tassel gauze, etc.; j. kudzu, because of the fine warp, thick weft, dense warp, and sparse weft, there are horizontal ridges on the surface, such as Chaoyang kudzu, Minghua kudzu, etc.; k. Wool, which uses crepe weave Or twill weave, poor luster, plump and thick texture, hairy floral silk fabric.For example, plain tweed and Dawei are the varieties of silk in the middle of the road; 1. Velvet, floral silk fabrics with plush or curls on the surface, such as georgette, colorful warp velvet, golden velvet, etc.; m. Tiles, warp yarn It is rayon, and the weft yarn is cotton yarn or waxed silk fabric.Such as Suti, Xianti quilt surface, Xinwenti, etc.; n. Serge, silk fabrics woven with ordinary twill weave, thicker than ordinary silk, but thinner than woolen, such as silk serge.

The origin of silk in my country is basically the same as the origin of silk.The Taihu Lake Basin in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River is the largest silk producing area in my country, accounting for half of the country's output.Mainly concentrated in Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Huzhou, known as the three major silk markets.Followed by Shaoxing, Nanjing, Jiaxing, Zhenjiang, Changzhou.In terms of provinces and regions, the output of silk products in Zhejiang ranks first in the country, and the output of silk and satin accounts for 1/5. Hangzhou has the largest silk factory in the country.The output of raw silk in Jiangsu accounts for 1/5, and the output of silk ranks second.Shanghai has a well-developed silk printing and dyeing industry with complete varieties and colors, and is the largest export port in the country.The Sichuan Basin is the second largest silk producing area, famous for its Shu brocade satin, and its raw silk production is second only to Zhejiang.Mainly distributed in Nanchong, Chengdu, Chongqing, Mianyang.The third largest silk-producing area is in the Pearl River Delta, where silk is the main product. Traditional products include fragrant cloud yarn, which is smooth and cool.Exported to Southeast Asia and Hong Kong and Macao.The concentrated production areas are in Foshan and Guangzhou, Guangdong.Other famous silk producing areas include Guilin and Nanning in Guangxi, Changsha in Hunan, Ankang in Shaanxi, Hotan in Xinjiang, and Weifang in Shandong.All of the above belong to silkworm silk, whose output accounts for more than 70% of the country, while tussah silk is concentrated in Liaodong Peninsula and Shandong Peninsula, such as Dandong in Liaoning, Qingdao and Yantai in Shandong.Only a few silk products are highlighted here, including Suzhou silk, Huzhou Shuanglin satin silk, Jiangling Jing brocade, Nanjing Yun brocade, Chengdu Shu brocade, Guangxi Zhuang brocade, and Dandong tussah silk.

Suzhou Silk Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province is rich in silk with a history of more than 3,000 years, and is known as the "Hometown of Silk".During the Three Kingdoms period, Sun Quan of the Eastern Wu Dynasty regarded Suzhou silk as an important source of income for a prosperous country and a strong army.Suzhou’s silk weaving industry developed rapidly in the Tang and Song Dynasties. According to "Gusu Chronicles·Tian Fu", "Gusu has a wide variety of silk, and Wu Zhongsui paid tribute to silk silk, damask silk, black and silver damask, shirt satin, Luofu cloth, and folded soap cloth." , with the southward shift of the economic center in the Song Dynasty, Suzhou became the central city of China's silk industry. And "Tapest" is glorious. "Marco Polo's Travels" records the Yuan Dynasty: "Suzhou is very rich in silk production, and there is a huge amount of raw silk among the residents... The silk and satin made in Suzhou are not only for their own consumption, but also exported to other markets." Ming and Qing Dynasties Two generations of Suzhou silk have formed a business model that links production and sales. The city of Suzhou, which is known as "thousands of machine voices", has more than 30 kinds of products, with an annual output of about 100,000 pieces of silk, which are sold all over the country and around the world.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Suzhou's silk industry has achieved new development, with a wide variety of products, including more than 160 varieties of silk, satin, damask, Luo, brocade, Ge, rice, crepe, etc. Famous brand products such as silk, Iraqi silk, and striped silk.Among them, taffeta has good texture, soft, breathable and smooth, and is an exclusive product in China in the international market.All kinds of silk in Suzhou are characterized by bright colors, flat and bright, soft and smooth, easy and durable, and are loved by the world. The products are sold in more than 90 countries and regions. Huzhou Shuanglin Lingsi Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province is located in the hometown of fish, rice and silkworms in Taihu Lake.The damask silk products produced in Shuanglin Town have a long history.As far back as the Three Kingdoms period, Huzhou belonged to Soochow Wu, and it was once known as "Wu Ling Shu Brocade".In the Tang Dynasty, silk silk was listed as a royal tribute.In the Ming and Qing dynasties, Shuanglin Town became a large town specializing in silk production.Silk silk ranks first among silk, silk and satin, and Huzhou Shuanglin silk occupies the crown of silk silk.The damask silk produced here is as light as clouds, as thin as cicada's wings, bright in color, elegant in pattern, with national traditional characteristics, and has a reputation far and wide, and is praised as "the flower of silk weaving craft".It especially pays attention to plastic arts, and has many ethnic patterns such as double butterflies, cloud cranes, four seasons flowers, ten sceneries of West Lake, hundred longevity pictures, eight treasure dragons and phoenixes, flower baskets, bonsai and so on.According to the purpose, it is divided into four types: Baotou silk, palace silk, lantern silk and mounted silk.Some Baotou silk weighs 15-16 taels, some are as light as two-three taels, and some are stretched into tens of feet.There are dragon damask, cloud crane damask, foreign flower damask and so on. In recent years, there have been innovations in the varieties of Shuanglin damask silk.There are more than ten kinds of light flower silk, heavy flower silk, heavy flower silk, wide flower silk, two-color flower silk, painted silk, silk silk, craft insulation spinning, etc.The flower patterns include cloud crane, double phoenix, ice phoenix, bamboo and chrysanthemum, ancient coins, dragon and phoenix presenting auspiciousness. They are really colorful, antique and modern fashion colors, and the ancient traditional national art and contemporary art are on display.People praise Shuanglin satin and silk for "weaving samples from the sky, dyeing them in the spring water colors of the south of the Yangtze River, and making the silk silk as ethereal and beautiful as clouds".At present, more than 70 varieties are flying across the ocean to the world like clouds and clouds. Jiangling Jing brocade, Hubei Jiangling was called Jingzhou in ancient times.As early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, sericulture and silk reeling and weaving were already popular.The plain gauze damask and fine silk woven in the Han Dynasty are as light as clouds, thin and soft.The square-pattern damask silk of the Tang Dynasty was listed as a royal tribute, and seven or eight kinds of silk products were sold to Japan and Southeast Asia.In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the world-famous Jing brocade was produced. It is a pure mulberry silk fabric woven with colored wefts and colored warps. The weaving is very tight, and the satin surface is intarsia, soft and smooth.Colorful pearlescent brocade is a wonderful flower among silk fabrics. Nanjing Brocade Brocade produced in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, is made of silk and gold and silver threads. It is finely crafted, beautifully patterned, lively and colorful, resembling colorful clouds in the sky, hence the name Yunjin.Nanjing Yunjin is not only an art treasure, but also a tough, never-fading, and durable high-quality clothing material. Historically, it was exclusively used by the imperial court and exported to the world through the Silk Road. At present, Yunjin has produced many designs and patterns in various names, such as gold and silver makeup and decorative brocade.The main flower is launched with "color halo" and "layer by layer", which is gorgeous, unique in craftsmanship, rich and elegant, and extraordinary.Nanjing Yunjin is deeply loved by the Mongolian and Tibetan minority brothers, and it floats like a fairy to the five continents, allowing the world to see its style. Chengdu Shu Brocade Chengdu, Sichuan, is the ancient capital of the "Land of Abundance", known as the "City of Brocade", and is the origin of Shu Brocade.The Chengdu Plain has a mild climate, a well-developed silkworm industry, and excellent silk products.Using local high-quality silk as raw materials, coupled with exquisite traditional craftsmanship, weaves elegant appearance, lively image, and sketchy style of Shu brocade, which is famous at home and abroad. Guangxi Zhuang brocade Guangxi Zhuang brocade is a traditional handicraft fabric of the Zhuang people in Guangxi, with a strong national style.It is a kind of jacquard fabric woven with various colored velvet as the weft and cotton yarn as the warp.The jacquard part uses silk and blessing thread to weave rhombus-shaped interlocking patterns, with patterns of birds, flowers and plants, and scenes of people's lives.It is extremely expressive, exuding a simple and rustic atmosphere and the elegance of national life.It is well-known for its elegant patterns, smooth lines, bright colors, and durability. Guangxi Zhuang brocade is a wonderful flower in the cultural and artistic scroll of Zhuang nationality.In recent years, Nanning, the capital of Guangxi, and Guilin, known as the "most beautiful place in the world", have launched more than 80 kinds of Zhuang brocade fabrics, which have become the first choice of tourist souvenirs for Chinese and foreign tourists. Dandong Tussah Silk Dandong is located in Liaoning Province, adjacent to the Yalu River and connected to the Liaodong Peninsula, which is rich in tussah silk. It is a famous tussah silk producing area.There are 11 large-scale tussah silk factories in Dandong, with complete production facilities, including 14 categories of damask, silk, silk, satin, yarn, silk, velvet, serge, woolen, etc., more than 300 varieties, thousands of colors and patterns.Among them, more than 100 varieties and colors are exported products, among which the Red Rose brand Yalu River silk has faintly visible texture, flat and smooth, and is as thick as woolen wool.It has not only the rough style of mountains and fields, but also the merit of exquisite and ingenious art.Dandong velvet silk, tussah silk dyed silk, and miscellaneous silk Yalu River silk are all traditional export silks. Tussah silk and tussah silk are special products in China. They are well-known in the world market for their firmness and wear resistance, tough and straight silk, and simple and elegant style.Tussah silk and artificial fiber blended fabrics are thick, crisp and simple, and are increasingly popular.