What is silk fabric of history
China is the hometown of silk fabric. From the perspective of archaeological discoveries, the origin of Chinese silk can be traced back to the distant Neolithic period. Fragments of domestic silk were found in the Liangzhu cultural site in Zhejiang and the Yangshao cultural site in Henan. It shows that about five thousand years ago, with the development of society and the needs of life, people have gradually mastered some of the original production methods of planting mulberry, raising silkworms and using silk.
According to the distribution areas of silk relics in China, the development of silk is relatively early in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, the Yangtze River Delta, the Sichuan-Shu Basin, and southern China. Due to various historical factors, silk production first developed rapidly in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. After the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there were frequent wars in the north, the population migrated south, and the economy in the south developed relatively steadily. The center of the silk gradually shifted to the south. In the late Tang Dynasty, the transfer process was accelerated, and by the time of the Song Dynasty it had basically completed its transformation. Jiangnan area became an important silk-producing region of the country. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, many prosperous silk professional towns emerged in the southern part of the Jiangnan area, and the silk industry gained further prosperity.
In most dynasties, silk was listed as one of the sources of levy, and edicts were issued to advise farmers to plant mulberry trees and raise silkworms. The development of production requires technological progress. In the history of China, the success of various mulberry tree cultivation methods, especially the emergence of grafted mulberry tree, has promoted the high-quality and high-yield of mulberry leaves. Reeling car from hand to foot, silk loom from hand to heddle to foot, and the invention of beam heddle jacquard machine, template printing instead of manual drawing, etc., greatly improved the labor productivity of the silk industry.
Because of the excellent performance and decorative effect of silk, it is especially favored. Magnificent silk costumes have always been the symbols of the luxurious life of the nobles and royals. And this also led to the elaborate work of official weaving and the development of high-end products.
Chinese silk fabric is also known worldwide as a traditional export product. As early as around the 5th century BC, Chinese silk began to spread abroad together with its production experience and technology. At the same time, it also opened up the "Silk Road" that connects the business transactions between Asia and Europe and the "Maritime Silk Road" that connects Southeast.
The Silk Road is a commercial and economic route connecting China and Europe. Through it, the communication, exchanges and spreading of trade, cultural and religion between Asia and Europe are more convenient. It is almost 7000 kilometers, separated by the east, middle and west sections, starting from Xi'an in China, passing through Zhangye and Dunhuang, and then divided into three routes to penetrate into the interior of Europe.
The Silk Road began during the period of Emperor Han Wu of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty dispatched Zhang Qian to the West Cypriot. Later, the class of the Eastern Han Dynasty exceeded the Western Region, strengthening the relationship between the Western Region and the Mainland. Ban Chao once sent Gan Ying to Rome, extending the Silk Road from West Asia to Europe for the first time. In 166, Roman emissaries also came to Luoyang through the Silk Road, which was the first direct exchange between European countries and China.If you are interested in viewing the next article What Is Fabric Categories
