Brocade -Weaving as a dream as a tale
The strikingly magnificent brocade stands out from silks and satins. Hence the saying ”adding flowers to a brocade ” in reference to extremely good things.
Brocade-weaving was a complicated job and it required great skills. The brocade was so pricey in ancient times that it was regarded as an equivalent of gold in terms of value.
Beautiful mountains, waters, birds and flowers are all subjects for splendid silk fabrics. With various textures and colors, graceful brocades are intensely characteristic of the nation and duly regarded as the elite of silks and stains. The most famous are the Shu Brocade of Chengdu, the Song Brocade of Suzhou, the Cloud Pattern Brocade of Nanjing and the Woven Brocade of Hangzhou Brocade, known as the “big four”, of which all are made in JiangNan except for Shu brocade.
As pricey products, the brocade has a long history in China. They used to be enjoyed exclusively by the royal families, and almost all dynasties had official institutions in charge of the brocade weaving and dyeing.
The strikingly gorgeous Cloud Pattern Brocade derived its name from splendidly rosy clouds in the sky.The graceful and gorgeous material boasts tough textures and elegant designs, and it creates a unique style of grandness with profuse application of golden threads. While being in existence for 1,600 years, it is produced only in Nanjing in modern times,therefore it is called the “Cloud Pattern Brocade of Nanjing”.
The development of Song Brocade was based on the Tang Dynasty techniques, This very thin and fine silk for paintings and calligraphy was produced in Suzhou in the 12th century, and it has since been preserved with paintings and calligraphy. A reference is usually made to the Song Dynasty whenever brocades are mentioned .Hence the “Song Brocade os Suzhou”.
Practicality is a major merit of the fabric .Thanks to the song style processing ,the all-purpose material is very durable and it withstands many washes.
Hangzhou Brocade is my favorite as I was born and raised in Jiang Nan. The unique design and colors exemplify the best of traditional Chinese paintings as well as western paintings, bringing the art quite a few notches up.
You can not talk about Hangzhou Brocade without mentioning Mr.Du Jinsheng. His name later became that of a workshop and a line of products as well.
In 1919,Mr.Du. graduated from the Textile Department of the Type A Technical College of Zhejiang Province , and he decided to stsy and teach arts. In his spare time, he came up with the idea of depicting the picturesque West Lake in the format of brocade-weaving.
Using techniques defying ant imitations, he brought out on the brocades the artistic conceptions depicted by ancient poets after repeated studies and experiments.His 23rd birthday saw the completion of the world`s first brocade landscape picture “Nine Brooks and Eightteen Ravines”.
As his stylish brocade scenery pictures were reasonably priced, they became very popular on the market .Soon he bought 100 man-powered machines, including 5 gins, and hired more than 100 workers. His brocade picture “Night Tour of Royal Concubines” brought him a code medal from the 1926 World expo in Philadephia ,USA.
Mr.Du Jinsheng lived only to be 45,but the techniques and achievements, for which he had devoted his lifetime,have been carried on. His legacy continues and today the workshop under his name is the largest of its kind in China.
His famous residence is by the mythic West Lake. If only you can feel the floating fresh air amid the mountains and waters,or hear the wonderful chirping birds on trees, you will understand why this is the birthplace of Beautiful brocades became the beautiful lake and mountains,and vice verse,Right?
Song Beocade
Shu Brocade
Cloud Pattern Brocade
Woven Brocade Of Hangzhou Brocade
