Shu brocade, specifically refers to the silk jacquard brocade produced in Shudi, and later became a general term for the brocade produced in various places similar to the weaving method in Shudi, which is mostly woven with dyed cooked thread, with a long history and unique craftsmanship, and has the reputation of one of the four famous brocades in China.
Today, let us follow the footsteps of history and understand the development process of Shujin together!
Shu brocade arose in the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, when the Shu kingdom, has been able to weave a vivid pattern, exquisite weaving, colorful cloth, because of its fine production, unique style is known as "Shu brocade", at this time Shu brocade is mostly monotonous two-color brocade and three-color brocade, patterns are based on regular geometric patterns, sold in all parts of the princes.
During the Han and Tang dynasties, Shu Jin flourished and developed. In the Han Dynasty, the demand for brocade by the imperial court government increased greatly, and a special brocade factory was established in Chengdu, and a brocade official was set up to supervise the manufacture. During the Tang Dynasty, the economy was prosperous, influenced by the exchange between China and the West, Shu brocade production entered a new period of development, the form was gorgeous and magnificent, the pattern plot was complex and poetic, the color change could reach dozens of kinds, and has created varieties such as twill warp brocade, plain weft brocade, double-sided plain brocade, etc., which are circulated in Japan, Persia and other countries.
In the Song and Yuan dynasties, Shu Jin inherited the Han and Tang styles at the same time, had its own development and innovation, and integrated new characteristics. The pattern of Song Yuan Shu Jin is known for its beauty and beauty, which not only inherits the artistic technique of sketching flowers and birds in the Tang Dynasty, but also develops a pattern full of rules on the geometric skeleton, a beautiful and elegant decorative pattern style, brilliant colors, and the production process has also been greatly improved. In order to further expand production, the government set up the "Chengdu Fu Jinyuan" in Chengdu, and later added the "Tea Horse Sijinyuan".
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the development of Shu jin turned from prosperity to decline, and in the last years of the Ming Dynasty, the Manchu Qing Entered the Customs, and the development of Shu Jin suffered serious damage, until the Manchu Qing situation was stable, Shu Jin slowly recovered, but it was difficult to return to its heyday.
During the Republic of China, a large number of foreign goods entered the Chinese market, the national industry was greatly impacted, the development of Shujin was also deeply affected, and the former glory was no longer there.
After the founding of New China, the government began to help some unemployed Shujin manufacturing workers, which slowly restored the production and manufacturing of Shujin. A new generation of Shu brocade makers have comprehensively and systematically excavated and sorted out Shu brocade, and together with the predecessors of the older generation, they have introduced new ones and tried to produce the elegant and simple Bada Halo Brocade, Butterfly Pattern Brocade and Fulu Shouxi Brocade of the Ming Dynasty.
With the advent of the industrial era, the machine is widely used, the development of the handmade brocade industry has once again been hit, and the development of Shu brocade has shown a shrinking trend and begun to decline. At the beginning of the 21st century, the state began to consciously protect and inherit the Shu brocade manufacturing process, in 2006, the Shujiang Jinyuan Shu brocade weaving technology was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list, in 2009, the Shujiang Jinyuan Shu Brocade Weaving and Embroidery Museum was officially established, and in November 2019, the Shu brocade weaving technology was included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage representative project protection units.
Shu brocade is with the development of history of continuous advancement, although in a certain period of Shu brocade development showed a shrinking trend, but its weaving process, weaving tools, colors and patterns are constantly evolving, constantly innovating.
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