Blossoming Silk Road Palace of Jiangning Silk Manufacturing
The Story of Silk The Maritime Silk Road Cultural Sites in Nanjing
Englisgh / Issue 1, 2016 国内统一刊号 CN32-0110 国外发行代号 WT0110T 邮发代号 27-119
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BLOSSOMING SILK ROAD In the Far East, there is a powerful and prosperous nation. It was named Seres by the Europeans at the time, which means the nation of silk. Two thousand years ago, there lied a road spanning across the Eurasian Continent, connecting two massive empires, namely the Great Han Dynasty in the east and Roman Empire in the west. The road wasn’t officially given a name until late 19th century by a German geographer Richthofen.
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Palace of Jiangning Silk Manufacturing
Jiangning Silk Manufacturing Museum was built on the site of the Bureau of Jiangning Silk Manufacturing in Qing Dynasty. The Bureau was initiated by the government to produce silk products for the aristocracy and royal family. According to the history records, the Bureau was rebuilt in the second year of emperor Shunzhi’s reign, and was thereafter visited by emperor Kangxi and Qianlong when they travelled to the south. As a result, the Bureau became a big name in the country and talked about by many. Also, the Bureau witnessed the early years of great litterateur Xueqin Cao, while pushing the manufacture of Nanjing Brocade to its peak.
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Premier tailor-making service of Nanjing Brocade revisited Paris Fashion Week In 2015, Laurence Xu became the only Chinese costume designer who made a second entry into Paris Fashion Week in row. Nanjing Brocade joint hands with Laurence Xu, expressing Dunhuang artistic elements in 30 premier tailormade dressings. The audience was stunned by the profound beauty and extensive richness of Chinese Dunhuang history as it rolled out in the silk products.
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Paris fascinated by Chinese legends
The Paris Fashion Week this year has two parts, namely Beiwei dynasty and Tang dynasty in its full swing. The designers were inspired by the wall paintings of Dunhuang Mogao Caves in a way that they withdrew different topics of paintings in different dynasties, putting them in their designs and making them part of the products. German musician Robert Zollitsch and his wife Gong Linna composed the soundtrack music, making the show even more captivating. What you saw in the audience was models walking from faraway Dunhuang to Paris, throughout great time and distance, in ancient wall paintings.
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BROCADE 10
BROCADE Brocade represents the highest level of fabric in fine knitting. Nanjing Yun Brocade, leading the top three brocade varieties in China, is the essence of traditional Chinese knitting techniques. In the past ten centuries, Nanjing Yun Brocade has gone through ups and downs, but its name has never faded away. Today, the brocade is still produced by tireless workers in big and small factories, making the knitting technique a symbol of its glorious history.
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THE STORY OF
SILK
Silk enjoys a long history in Shengze, Suzhou City. As early as Tang Dynasty, the local-made Wuling Silk was served as tribute. In Ming and Qing Dynasties, workshops specializing in producing silk appeared together with silk market, making Shengze renowned for its bustling knitting industry and silk business. As a result, Shengze for a time became one of the Four Cities of Silk in China, following Suzhou, Hangzhou and Huzhou. As the Chinese poems vividly puts: the whole city is a market on the river, with its silk product sold as far as to Central China. The daily output is gigantic, enough to dress everybody under heaven.
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SONG BROCADE CULTURAL PARK
Song Brocade originates from Spring and Autumn Period, formed in Song Dynasty and prospered in Ming and Qing Dynasty. As one of the most symbolic varieties silk product in China, it is also the intangible cultural heritage of Suzhou. Song Brocade made in Suzhou is characterized with its fine-knitted texture, delicate design, as well as elegant colors. It is mainly used for court dresses making and calligraphy binding in ancient times. It is regarded, together with Nanjing Yun Brocade and Sichuan
Shu Brocade, as Three Fine Brocade Products in China. China Song Brocade Cultural Park is located in the premise of Wujiang Dingsheng Silk Company Limited. The Park consists of five major areas: Story of Song Brocade, Industry of Song Brocade, APEC Chinese Costume Exhibition Hall, Song Brocade in Daily Life and Dingsheng Silk Shop.
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SILK EXHIBITION PARK
The Silk Exhibition Park, funded and built by Jiangsu Huajia Corporation as China Silk Culture and Tourism Site, is located in Shengze, Wujiang city, one of China’s four Cities of Silk. The Park shows the development of the silk industry in Wujiang, with tourism, education, entertainment, creative industry and business all in one.
Xiancan Temple Xiancan Temple (Temple of Silkworm), built in 1840, is one of the major places of promoting silk culture in the lower reaches of Yangze River, if not the whole China. It is also the only temple of silkworm remained in the country. Throughout the years, when the calendar comes to the 8th of 24 solar terms (approximately 20th to 22nd of May), which is known as Grains Full, people would perform opera, showing their respect to the ancestral gods of Chinese nation— emperor Yan, emperor Huang and goddess of Leizu, who are enshrined in the temple. The garden in the temple was constructed with unique architectural style, compact and exquisite. It is said that when people come to pray for the gods, they need to spend extra minutes walking around the Yicui Bridge, Longmen Road and Rising Staircase, where good fortune would possibly befall on the lucky ones.
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Song Brocade, as its name suggests, dates back to Song Dynasty. As it was mainly produced in Suzhou, it is also called Suzhou Song Brocade, which is one of the Three Varieties of Premium Brocade in China, together with Nanjing Yun Brocade and Sichuan Shu Brocade. In 1995, the Center of China Silk Manufacture and Cultural
Heritage was established in Suzhou, aiming to research and reproduce the traditional craftsmanship of silk dyeing and brocade knitting. On 20th May 2006, approved by the State Council of People’s Republic of China, the traditional craftsmanship was listed as the National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
SONG BROCADE Traversing Through A Millennium
In 2009, Wujiang Dingsheng Silk Ltd. acquired the time-honored silk manufacturer——Suzhou Dongwu silk mill. By doing so, Wujiang Dingsheng Ltd received not only the skilled workers and advanced equipment, but also managerial expertise and cutting-edge technology. Also, they partnered with Suzhou Silk Museum, Suzhou Archive Library and Suzhou University in reproducing some endangered cultural objects and inheriting the techniques
of Shangjiukai, a brand of silk product originated from Qing Dynasty (AD 1889). Compared with Shu Brocade and Yun Brocade, Song Brocade feels soft but elastic, looks flatly spread–out while modestly posh. The embroidery is picturesque and vivid, and the color is vibrant but not ostentatious, full of beauty of classic elegance. In 2009, Song Brocade was listed as World’s Intangible Cultural Heritage, thereby making its name worldwide.
The Debut of Song Brocade in APEC The traditional Chinese costume wore by world leaders in 2014 APEC were made by Shangjiukai Song Brocade. The costume displayed the image of Chinese people in new era, with traditions as its inspiration, etiquette as its essence and innovation as its format. Therefore, it is also called the New Chinese-style Outfits. The costume for male leaders adopted stand－up collar, Chinese-style jacket with buttons down the front, the raglan sleeves, the swastika decoration
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pattern and the sea and mountain pattern as well. The costume for female leaders adopted the similar pattern as their male counterparts except for the fabric, which was doupioni silk, and cheongsam skirt with stand-up collar. The sea and mountain pattern on the costume represents the 21 APEC economic entities are linked geographically, and therefore should stick as a whole.
The Shangjiukai Song Brocade instilled with new concepts travels around the world. In 2015, the product of Suzhou Song Brocade, which includes the costume of world leaders in Beijing APEC, the Shangjiukai Song Brocade scarf, bags and cases were exhibited in fashion shows in Poland, Romania and Milan. In Palazzo Clerici, Milan particularly, the Shangjiukai exhibition joined hands with European Design Center and Milan Fashion Show, displaying the Song Brocade products from top Italian designers. Boselli, the Chairman of Milan Fashion Show introduced the Shangjiukai Song Brocade to the audience.
World Exhibition of the Shangjiukai Song Brocade
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A GLIMPSE OF ROYAL COSTUME IN THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Mr. Wu Yan was one of the most famous tailors and designers in 1930s’ Shanghai. He created the Standardized System of Customizing, which was employed by the then president Chang Kai Shek and First Lady Song Meilin. After the Government of Republic of China moved to Taiwan, Mr. Wu was still appointed as the costume designer for the political elites in the government. Mr. Wu Yan’s son, Wu Fei, influenced by his father from early age, took on his father’s career as a designer after graduated from Julia Conservatory of New York. He added some elements of Western fashion and modernity on the basis of Chinese traditional beauty,
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which is still adored by the social elites in Beijing, Shanghai and Taiwan today. The fashion trend in the Republic of China is still making people mesmerized. Its undying beauty, legendary stories are still shining through the thick mist of history. As we recollect the passing good old days, we are also amazed by the design of Mr. Wu Fei, where east culture meets the west, and where Chinese traditions are carried on. The updated version of Cheongsam with sleeves, decorated with nylon lace in cuffs and collar, making it a product of elegance, with a trace of western Romanticism.
The needlework flowers, which is typical Chinese style, are introduced in Organza, making it a product with both Chinese and Western flavor.
sleeves combines traditional Chinese paintings with knitting techniques. The lotus paintings on it is the best expression of tradition and modernity.
It makes the Cheongsam more elegant with colorful embroidery on it.
The famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou walking the Red Carpet in Mr. Wu Fei’s product.
The slant opening Cheongsam without
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Jin Embroidery and Beautiful Jiangnan Jiangnan, the area south of the lower reaches of Yangtze River, is where silk was promoted to a household necessity nationwide. Every year, all kinds of product release or fashion week is held in Jiangnan or have silk brand from Jiangnan. However, this is only a tip of an iceberg when you are enjoying the beauty of Jiangnan. The zigzag waterway, the beautiful Taihu Lake. When the sun is about to set, the fountain starts dancing in sync with the music----the water splashes in the shape of blossoming Jasmine flowers and Taihu Lake shines like a pearl. The town of Cheongsam, located near this beautiful lake, echoes with the legendary Silk Road stories.
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The China International Silk Exposition and Mode China are all important platform for releasing new trendy products. In 2015, the International Silk Design Competition of Women’s Wear became part of the Silk Expo, bringing more new idea to the existing products. The World’s Intangible Cultural Relic Song Brocade is updating its images in recent years. In Jiangnan International Fashion Week in May 2016, Shangjiukai initiated the product release of 2016 Winter and Autumn knitted wear of Jiangnan embroidery, bringing a visual feast of fashion and tradition to the audience.
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The Good Blessings Encrypted in the Patterns of Yun Brocade Article / Cheng Pictures / Nanjing Institute of Yun Brocade
Having patterns of good blessings on the embroideries were very popular in Ming and Qing Dynasty. With respect to Yun Brocade, good blessings were further emphasized on the pattern after emperor Jiajin. Most of the silk product excavated from the Ming Tombs in Beijing are with patterns showing good blessings. There are also Yun Brocade products kept in Forbidden City with the similar patterns of auspiciousness.
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The Myth of Dragon and Phoenix Bringing Prosperity Speaking of Yun Brocade, one would think of the Dragon Robe. This is the case because dragon plays a key role in decorating Yun Brocade and is considered a major theme of royal decoration. According to the specifics of royal decoration and royal tailoring, a dragon could be depicted with different styles,
namely, upright dragon, curled dragon, rounded dragon, landing dragon, crouched dragon, walking dragon, flying dragon and the like. When a dragon is depicted, it comes with clouds and sea as the background. A flying dragon roaring between the see and clouds, which symbolize the land under the heaven all belongs to the emperor. In Qing Dynasty, the local top officials and princes also wear robes with dragons, but the format and style of the dragons are strictly different from those of Emperor’s Dragon Robes. For other junior members of the royal family, they are only allowed to wear robes with pythons.
Phoenix is another oftenembroidered patter on royal costume. In feudalistic society, phoenix represents the empress. Phoenix is usually depicted with begonia and lotus. In most cases, phoenix is presented with dragon, with begonia, phoenix flying through flowers, resting on lotus leaves and so on. In feudalistic China, to randomly use dragon as pattern is a criminal offense against the royalty, but phoenix could be used by the general public as they wish. As a result, phoenix as a pattern is often employed in fabric and adored especially by women.
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Riddle of Auspicious Floral Emblazonries Many patterns on brocade are shaped like flowers and other plants. For example, Jin Bao Di Satin with flowers emblazonries depicts the scene that all kinds of flowers including peonies, yulan magnolias, chrysanthemums and azaleas bloom in spring. On the piece of the brocade, the flowers have plump blossoms as well as slender stalks while butterflies are flying around.
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Riddle of auspicious characters emblazonries The auspicious Chinese characters frequently appearing on brocade works include “ 福”(fu, good fortune), “ 禄”(lu, promotion), “寿”(shou, longevity), “喜”(xi, happiness), “回”(hui, return), “万”(wan, the Srivatsa) and etc. The typical work of this pattern is the “Zhuang Hua Satin with Emblazonries of Two Lotus Flowers on One Stalk and the Character Xi” which was made for the royal court of Ming Dynasty. The original piece of brocade was used to make the wedding dress for Emperor Wanli’s concubine and is excavated from the underground palace of Beijing Ming Dynasty Tombs. The pattern is elegant but not flamboyant. The character Xi means a happy and harmonious union while the lotus symbolizes purity and virtue. The Chinese character of lotus is a homophone of “连” which means connection and union. As for the symbol of two lotus flowers on one stalk, it is an allusion to the famous line of poem that “We wish to be the inseparable birds flying in the heaven or the two lotus flowers on one stalk in the water, expressing the heartfelt wish of a happy and long-lasting marriage.
Riddle of Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism Emblazonries There are Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism in patterns of brocade, namely the Buddhist symbols of the Conch of fame, the Eternal Wheel of Life, the Canopy, the Padma, the Aquaria, the Double Fishes and the Endless Knot. An example of this traditional pattern is the “the Endless Knot and Double Fishes Zhuang Hua Satin” made
in Qing Dynasty. The Chines name of the Endless Knot in this pattern are homophones of two Chinese characters “吉”(ji) and “庆”(qing) who bear lucky and auspicious meanings. It is common to use symbols and homophones in the designing of brocade patterns. On the one hand, they are able to enhance the aesthetic value while on the other hand, they also offer people mental consolation and a sense of pleasure. They are the reflection of the ancients’ yearning for better life.
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Brocade with Srivatsa Symbols The Srivatsa is traditionally considered as an auspicious symbol. It consists of several “万”s (卐) and is a continual square pattern. The “卐” means good fortune while its repeating occurrences imply longevity and that the good fortune will never end. The brocade of this pattern was usually used in framing and mounting pictures during Ming and Qing dynasties. For example, the stamp collection of Emperor Kangxi’s jade seals stored in the National Palace Museum was mounted with brocade of this pattern.
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Lightish/ Sapphire Blue Brocade with Cloud symbols Composition of Characters (Shuo Wen Jie Zi) is an ancient book dissecting and explaining Chinese characters and it says, “clouds are spirits of mountains and water, and they are the transformation of rain.” while in another ancient book Comprehensive Record of China’s Geography (He Tu Di Tong Ji), clouds are described as “the origin of the world”. Hence the decisive role of clouds and rain in harvesting and luck of human people. Therefore, clouds gradually become auspicious symbols people like and hold in awe. There are many idioms concerning clouds. For example, “beautiful clouds bring good fortune”, “Auspicious clouds are the prelude to good weather” and “fly high like clouds in the sky”… The cloud symbols on this piece of brocade are diverse and graceful. Some of them are presented alone while the others appear in strings or in a large mass. Clouds are a symbol of good luck and promotion. Therefore, clothes made of this fabric can bring you auspiciousness.
Golden Blossom Season Zhuang Hua Satin The fabric’s style is retro to that of Tang Dynasty. The main pattern on it is gerber flowers who represent pure beauty, passion and vigor.
Gold-wefted Brocade with Mixed Auspicious Symbols and Intertwisted branches Symbols
Jin Bao Di Zhuang Hua Satin with Pattern of Golden Carps The pattern of golden carps is a symbol of prosperity and good harvests because the Chinese characters of “鱼”(yu, fish) and “余”(yu, surplus) are homophones of each other. Besides, there is an old tale recorded by many ancient books telling that once the carps jump over the dragon gate, they will become dragon flying to the heaven. Therefore, carps jumping over dragon gate become a symbol of great progress and promotion. Jin Bao Di is the most representative of the Zhuang Hua embroidery technology. The feature of Jin Bao Di is its utilization of gold thread of different glosses, making the golden background with round thread and the exquisite decorative patterns with flat thread. Fabrics produced with Jin Bao Di technology are brilliant and magnificent so they are the flagship products of brocade.
Dark Blue Zhuang Hua Satin with Little Lotus Pattern The fabric is unique in weaving craft and the little lotus pattern on it is made with floss and gold thread. The lotus flowers are a traditional pattern in ancient time as well as a Buddhist symbol. The little lotus pattern on the satin is inspired by murals of Flying Asparas in Mo Kao Grotto at Dunhuang, symbolizing purity and auspiciousness. Zhuang Hua is the highest embroidery craftsmanship of brocade and was once used in producing imperial robes. Due to the great difficulty in manufacturing, the production of the fabric is very limited.
The mixed auspicious symbols first appeared in Ming Dynasty and became popular in Ming and Qing Dynasties. This pattern is not fixed and may include symbols of double horns, silver ingots, fireballs, flames, fire wheels, conches, coral, double coins, auspicious clouds…Therefore it is called a pattern of mixed auspicious symbols. Another name of inter-twisted branches symbol is the longevity vein symbol because it is repetitive and continual, indicating life and growth. Evolving from scroll grass pattern, the inter-twisted branches symbol is dynamic and graceful. This fabric combines the mixed auspicious symbols with those of intertwisted branches and is made of expensive materials such as natural silk and gold thread, adding a sense of luxury for you.
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Stone City, Treasure Shipyard, Porcelain Tower, and City Wall - these names must be familiar to you because they are all historical sites on Maritime Silk Road.
• City Wall of Ming Dynasty
The Maritime Silk Road Cultural Sites in Nanjing
The Silk Road refers to the trade route from ancient China to South Asia, West Asia, Europe and North Africa. Since most of the trading business with China revolves around silk, the road therefore gets its name. In early 1900s, French scholar Chavannes put forward the terms of Land Silk Road and Maritime Silk Road. Nanjing is not a seaside city though, it is located in a place where many big rivers come into the sea. Because of the favorable location, there were many different kinds of boats sailing in and out of Nanjing, making it an important port city in the development of Silk Road. Since the Six Dynasty Period (222-589), Nanjing has become a linking hub with countries in both East and South China Sea. Afterwards in Ming Dynasty when admiral Zheng He started
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his voyage, Nanjing was also the place where labor and cargo were congregated and distributed, making its trading capability even more significant. Because of the important position Nanjing enjoys in the history of sailing, there are still many historical sites relevant to Maritime Silk Road remained. It is estimated that there are 12 places of such historical sites in Nanjing, with an total area of 226 thousand square meter. They are: The Oriental Metropolitan Historical Relics, Daochang Temple, Capital Site of Ming Dynasty, Jinghai Temple, Tianfei Temple, Longjiang Treasure Shipyard, Tomb of Zheng He, Tomb of the King Boni, Jingjue Temple, former site of Zheng He Palace, Tomb of Hongbao and Porcelain Tower of Nanjing.
Jinghai Temple: witness of trade and business on Maritime Silk Road
The Stone City: The Starting Point of Maritime Silk Road in The Six-Dynasty Period The Stone City was built by Sun Quan in East Han Dynasty. The city was situated on the mountain and faced the river. Walking along the Qinhuai River into the city, one would enter the bustling city center where many stores concentrated and business went on. As the city was built at where the Yangtze River meets Qinhuai River, it is historically of great military value as well as great waterway transport value. In East Jin Dynasty, boats came back and forth to the Stone City was countless, and the ferry terminal of the city was also the largest along Yangtze River. Many business people and diplomats came to Nanjing (The Stone City) via the Maritime Silk Road and disembarked at here. If Luoyang and Chang’an played a significant role along The Silk Road in Tang Dynasty, the Stone City has an equally important part along the Maritime Silk Road in East Wu and East Jin Dynasty.
JInghai Temple was a grand and spectacular temple complex in Ming and Qing dynasty. It was known as the best temple amongst the other eight in Nanjing. When Admiral Zheng He returned from his third
Tianfei Palace: remembrance of Zheng He and his seven voyages Next to Jinghai Temple stands Tianfei Palace (Palace of Holy Empress). The palace was built as a worship to the patron goddess Mazu after Zheng’s safe return from the first voyage. For the later 6 voyages, Zheng He would always come to the Palace and pray for safe return before departure.
voyage, Ming Cheung-tzu emperor Zhu Di ordered to build the temple as a respect to Zheng’s effort in publicizing the great power of Ming around the world and enshrine the rare objects taken from oversea, such as paintings, Buddhist relics and jade sculptures in the new premise. The temple was given a name Jinghai, which means the clam ocean and peaceful world.
The Stone Monument is the highlight of the Palace. It is the only Stone Monument with emperor’s tribute engraved on it, as well as the largest stone carving of Zheng He’s expedition known to the world.
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Treasure Shipyard: Starting Point of ZhengHe’s Westward Voyages Being located at the estuary of Qin Huai River and to the east of Yangtze River, the Treasure Shipyard is where Zheng He’s ships were built and the starting point of his westward voyages. In early Ming Dynasty, Treasure Shipyard was unparalleled in its scale, production and technology. With the strong financial support from Emperor Yongle, the country’s most talented craftsmen built 64 great ships in only 14 months. It was a miracle not only in China, but also in the world then.
Tomb of the King of Boni: Testimony of friendship between China and Neighbor Countries Tomb of the King of Boni is one of the only two foreign
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kings’ tombs in China. In 1408, the King of Boni, Sultan Abdul Majid Hassan led a delegation of over 150 envoys to visit China and was recepted by Emperor Yongle with the highest courtesy. In China, the King of Boni enjoyed the best treatment and even attended the crown prince’s ceremony. During his traveling in Nanjing, he was unfortunately infected with a disease. In spite of imperial physicians’ great efforts, the King was too ill to recover and passed away in Nanjing. According to the King’s last will, Emperor Yongle buried
him in China and conferred the posthumous title of “Gong Shun”on him. The site of the tomb is a “land of treasure” because it faces south and is embraced on three sides by mountains. There is a pond in the front and Mountain Niushou standing at a distance.
Jing Jue Mosque: the only Roral Mosque Constructed under Zheng He’s Petition As one of the eight great mosques in China. Jing Jue Mosque is the only royal mosque whose name was granted by the emperor and the only one who was allowed to have animal carvings on its archway. It is also the most perfectly preserved mosque thanks to Zheng He. In 1430, Jing Jue Mosque was destroyed in fire. At that time, Zheng He was preparing for his 7th westward voyage. As a devout Muslim, Zhenghe pled with Emperor Xuande to rebuild it with the remaining funds for
his voyages. Emperor Xuande consented in order to guarantee Zheng He’s full engagement in his 7th voyage. Jing Jue Mosque is the largest mosque in Nanjing and is still a center for Muslims to participate in religious activities nowadays.
Ming City Wall: An Important Relic on Maritime Silk Road The Ming City Wall is an important relic of Ming Dynasty and a vital spot on the maritime silk road. It is a masterpiece demonstrating the technologies the ancient Chinese adopted in building military defenses and
Tower in Da Bao En Temple (Temple of Gratitude): The Porcelain Tower Built Under Zheng He’s Supervision Before His Voyages In 1412, Emperor Yongle ordered to rebuild Da Bao En Temple
city walls. It is another wonder in history apart from the Great Wall because of its great scale, design and functions and its value in history, archaeology and aesthetics.
and build “a pagoda of nine storeys with colored glaze” which is the Porcelain Tower. The magnificent tower was built under Zheng He’s supervision. According to the information gathered over these years, it is clear that Zheng He indeed cast great influences on the construction of the tower.
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