Chinese embroidery

Here we are with a few examples of Chinese embroidery, ranging in time from the Warring States (453-221 BC) to Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The oldest cloths ever found date back to the Warring States period and were unearthed in Hebei province, as the unlined garment with the tiger below on the left (detail) and the phoenix. While not much can be said on this period, silk weawing and embroidery under the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220AD) reached an high development.

State-run workshops were established to satisfy the needs of the imperial court, particularly in Shandong province, where many centers were active since the Warring States period. The brocades unearthed in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and Gansu show the technical progress made by the Han: finely decorated thin silk (juan) and colorful brocade (jin) are among the most valuable finds. The brocade was woven with red, brown, yellow, green and blue threads, and was decorated with patterns such as clouds, dragons and animals; motifs could be simple or very complicated, and even sentences could be included, as changle mingguang (Long happiness and glory) or yannian yishou (long life). The so-called zhicheng technique (a type of weaving done by the tapestry method in fine silks and gold thread) allowed the Han weaver to reproduce the decorations typical of painting, as trees, mountains and clouds.

Above, a cloth with Buddhist images, Northern Wei period (386-534). The technique of weaving under the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-581) remained essentially unchanged, being just a prosecution of the Han weaving tradition; the most notable innovation is the introduction of Buddhist motifs. Some brocades found in Dunhuang show traditional Chinese characteristics, but the decoration is clearly of Persian origin.

Under the Tang Dynasty further progress was achieved, also as a consequence of external influence. Tang silks and brocades has been unearthed throughout the whole country, showing their high grade of diffusion; the range of silk and brocade items increased decisively. During Ming and Qing Dynasties weaving technique reached its artistic peak, and workshops were established in every province, those of Nanjing, Guandong and Sicchuan provinces being the most renown. Silk and brocade were not only for imperial use, but were highly appreciated by the richest social strata as well. A good part of it was produced for export. Buyers could choose amongst a huge range of fabric products, such as thin silk, brocade, velvet, silk gauze, and satin up to 530 types; decorations included lions, oxes, dragons and phoenixes surrounded with clouds, flying fishes, butterflies, sparrows, flowers, propitious sentences and the like. The "Dream of the Red Chamber" offers vivid descriptions of this period's clothing.

 

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Sinophilia was born in 1998 as a meeting-point for China-lovers. In these years we have managed to build a database of essential information on the Chinese culture, adding here and there a few more specific essays on Chinese art, history, language and religions, and some useful tools.

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