In December 2012, during the construction of Chengdu Metro Line 3, a Western Han tomb was found at the construction site of Tianhui Town, and the Chengdu Cultural Relics and Archaeology Team immediately carried out rescue archaeological excavations. During the cleanup of Tomb No. 2, archaeologists found 4 loom models in the silt at the bottom of the north side of the burial chamber. They are clearly shaped, complex in structure, and have silk threads and dyes left on their parts.
Identified by the relevant silk weaving experts, the 4 looms are divided into two types, one is the sliding frame type multi-comprehensive jacquard loom model, and the other is the connecting rod type one hook multi-comprehensive jacquard loom model. The complete Western Han Jacquard loom model was first discovered in the country. Around the loom, there are several loom figurines with different postures and seem to be operating different processes.
▲The excavation of the model of the Old Guanshan loom in Chengdu in 2013
The excavation of the Laoguanshan loom has attracted great attention from the academic community. According to historical records, Shu Jin has the reputation of "the mother of the world". In "Shu Du Fu", Yang Xiong once said that "Er Nai qi is a person, self-made Qi Jin... The text is brilliant, and the generations are endless", praising the bright and gorgeous Shu brocade and a wide variety. However, due to the humid climate in the Chengdu area, no brocade of this period has ever been unearthed. When the "five stars out of the East" Han and Jin brocade, which is the treasure of the Xinjiang Museum, was unearthed, many scholars speculated that it was made in Shudi, but no more evidence could be found to support it. Many details of The Shudi brocade need to be enriched and perfected by more materials.
▲ Five-star out of the East Lee Chinese brocade pattern and text restoration
The turning point occurred on the model of the loom excavated from LaoguanShan. Experts have studied them thoroughly and confirmed that they belong to jacquard looms. The great thing about the jacquard loom is that it can weave and store a "binary" code similar to a modern computer for the loom through tens of thousands of silk threads. The "selection" of workers in weaving is equivalent to programming the pattern and finally weaving a patterned brocade.
The most breathtaking thing is that the old Guanshan Han Tomb loom model is programmed in more than one way: the sliding frame and the connecting rod are two technical means, and the pattern woven is different. "Therefore, when the loom of the tomb of the old Guanshan Han was unearthed, the academic community gave it a high evaluation." These jacquard looms in the world, which have been discovered so far, prove that Shu brocade is worthy of the name of "the mother brocade of the world". Prior to this, China's archaeology unearthed Han Dynasty fabrics without tools, and this archaeological discovery is of great significance to the history of Chinese textiles and the history of Chinese science and technology. They are a symbol of conventional wisdom and support the leading position of Chinese weaving technology in the history of century textiles.
How is the weaving technique of the loom of the old Guanshan Han Tomb breathtaking? In 2013, the "Compass Project" of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage began to try to restore the Han Dynasty gouge jacquard machine based on it. Three years later, experts at the China Silk Museum used a restored loom to reproduce the "five stars out of the Orient" brocade.
In the more than 20 years since the excavation of cultural relics, people have copied its ornamentation, but most of the density is not up to the original cultural relics. What is exciting is that after being copied with the loom model technology of the old Guanshan Han Tomb, the five-star brocade has finally traveled through time and space more than a year later and reappeared gorgeously.
From the excavation of the loom model of the tomb of Laoguanshan Han to the reproduction of the five-star brocade by the loom technology, archaeological discoveries and academic achievements point to the fact that the Shu brocade weaving technology once led the country.
According to the records of Han tablets unearthed in Chengdu, during the two Han Dynasties, Chengdu was one of the five most economically developed cities in the country, and lacquerware and brocade were the two most important types of handmade products. The literature also records that Chengdu, Sichuan during the Han and Tang Dynasties, was one of the largest suppliers of silk in China. Although academics now believe that the starting point of the Silk Road was in Chang'an, the main source of silk fabrics was in Sichuan.
The excavation of the loom model of the Laoguanshan Han Tomb has reshaped Sichuan's position on the Silk Road: Sichuan's Shu brocade and silk products are one of the most important commodities on the Silk Road, and the main line of the Silk Road is to connect with Sichuan and Chengdu, and its important starting point is irreplaceable.
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Edit: South Beauvan
Proofreader: Wang Yang Li Shengli
Producer: Mao Shengwen
Review: Zhao Qiuyue