What is Nanjing yunjin brocade? – The Craft Atlas (2024)

Nanjing Yunjinis an exquisite kind of silk brocade from Nanjing,China. “Yunjin”,meaning “beautiful as clouds at sunset”, is a more than 1500 year old craft incorporating fine materials such as silk, gold and peaco*ck feather yarn.

In the Chinese tradition of weaving Nanjing Yunjin brocade, two craftspeople operate the upper (sorting threads) and lower parts (weaves) of a 4 meter high loom to produce textiles. A team can produce only five centimeters of yunjin per day.

Preserved primarily in Jiangsu province in eastern China, the method comprises more than a hundred procedures, including manufacturing looms, drafting patterns, the creation of jacquard cards for programming weaving patterns, dressing the loom and the many stages of weaving itself.

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Application

The technique was once used to produce royal garments such as the dragon robe and crown costume; today, it is still used to make high-end attire and souvenirs.

Origin

The production can be traced back to the officially-run weaving factory “Jin Bureau”, which produced the brocade only for the royal family. It was not until the lateQing dynastythat the development of Nanjing cloud-pattern brocade entered its period of full bloom; then the products were sold to the common citizens.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanjing_yunjin_brocade

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/nanjing-handicrafts/index.html

http://www.ichcap.org/eng/contents/ich.php?mode=view&code=H0000014