Current location:sport >>
The fabric of Chinese culture
sport263People have gathered around
IntroductionThe Nanjing Yunjin Research Institute adopts yunjin technique in replicating cultural relics, includ ...
The Nanjing Yunjin Research Institute adopts yunjin technique in replicating cultural relics, including a garment that belonged to an empress from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). [Photo provided to China Daily]
Silk has always been interwoven with the nation's history, and the textiles that employ the fine material remain sought after the world over — arguably, none more so than hangluo gauze, Xu Haoyu reports.
Editor's note: There are 43 items inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage lists that not only bear witness to the past glories of Chinese civilization, but also continue to shine today. China Daily looks at the protection and inheritance of some of these cultural legacies. In this installment, we admire a much-coveted textile that threaded its way to every corner of the globe.
"The sun, the sun, like a golden shuttle; the moon, the moon, like a silver shuttle. They are handed to you and also to me, to see who weaves the most beautiful life," goes a popular song from the last century named The Golden and Silver Shuttles.
It was common back then, but relatively rarely seen now, to use the loom shuttle to metaphorically describe the passage of time; and through numerous small workshops and skillful hands, the resources bestowed by nature were transformed into useful and exquisite items for daily life.
The production of silk involves the cultivation of mulberry trees and the breeding and care of silkworms, which produce cocoons from which silk filaments are unwound. It is one of the things that, even today, remains firmly archaic — continuing to exist in a time when patience was not a scarce resource.
People have been weaving silk, which is known as si in Chinese, into fabric for more than 5,000 years.
Once upon a time, when spring transitioned into summer, the Grand Canal, a vast waterway system connecting Beijing and Hangzhou in today's Zhejiang province, presented a bustling scene. Countless boats traversed the waterway, transporting exquisite fabrics. This precious cargo would take two months to reach the capital city, where they would be transformed into cool and lightweight robes, and worn as the favored attire of officials and nobility.
Living Heritage: Chinese Silk Craftsmanship
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Stellar Space news portal”。http://honduras.chongwenmenhotelbeijing.com/html-20d999918.html
Related articles
Sweden beats France, Britain relegated after losing to Norway at hockey worlds
sportPRAGUE (AP) — Sweden beat France 3-1 to preserve a perfect record at the ice hockey world championsh ...
【sport】
Read moreBoom in travel to 'ice city' Harbin spurs sales of cranberry products
sportThe tourism business in Northeast China, led by "ice city" Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, ...
【sport】
Read moreWorld's largest energy corridor generates impressive power
sportThe world's largest clean energy corridor generated more than 276 billion kilowatt-hours of green po ...
【sport】
Read more
Popular articles
- Revealed: Brit tourist, 19, subjected to sex attack in Majorca 'was gang
- Searches for hotels surge 4 times after China
- Shanghai makes great strides in improving business environment
- Beverage grading system launched in Shanghai
- Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. to lead Indianapolis 500 field in Corvette pace car
- Australia on track to eliminate cases of hepatitis C by 2030
Latest articles
What a blast to work at NASA. Space agency is sky
China discovers Asia's largest lithium source to date
China's space tracking ship Yuanwang
China reveals shortlist of 10 names for 1st Mars rover
Storms damage homes in Oklahoma and Kansas. But in Houston, most power is restored
Boeing committed to forging closer partnership with China for common development
LINKS
- US works to prevent an escalation across the Mideast as Biden pushes Israel to show restraint
- LeBron James' triple
- Feature: See Nanjing exhibition kicks off in Boston highlighting Chinese cultural elements
- Heat tune up for postseason by topping Raptors 118
- Prince Harry opts for a 'quiet luxury' style in a grey T
- LeBron James' triple
- Suki Waterhouse reveals the gender of her new baby while performing on
- Zambia to sensitize locals to China
- Rosario and Pinto homer off Snell in his return to Tropicana Field, Rays beat Giants 9
- Joan Deslandes: From learning Chinese to becoming global citizens