Interpreting the legend of the Silk Road! The ingenious Shu brocade was woven by this super "programming machine"

Among Chinese silk artworks, brocade is one of the most representative silk fabrics. The long-standing and distinctive brocade craftsmanship on the Chinese land has given birth to the "four famous brocades" of Yunjin, Songjin, Zhuangjin, and Shujin. Among them, Shujin, centered in Chengdu, Sichuan, has the longest history, and its prosperity can be traced back to the Han Dynasty. At that time, Chengdu had a developed Shujin industry, and the court set up brocade officials to manage the production of Shujin. Therefore, Chengdu also had the nickname "Jinguan City". The Qingjiang River under the city of Chengdu was also named "Jinjiang" because it was used by local people to wash Shujin. However, the most critical prop of the Han Dynasty brocade craftsmanship—the loom—disappeared in the long river of history. For many years, people only conducted retrospective research based on the existing traditional looms, or speculated through fragments in ancient books and documents, and never saw its image, let alone a real model. It was not until the amazing discovery of the Han Tomb in Laoguanshan, Chengdu in 2013 that people got a glimpse of the true appearance of the loom two thousand years ago (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Loom model in the Han Tomb of Laoguanshan in Chengdu Image source: Reference 1

From July 2012 to August 2013, with the approval of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Cultural Relics Protection Centers of Chengdu and Jingzhou formed a joint archaeological team to conduct rescue excavations at a Western Han Dynasty cemetery in Tianhui Town, Jinniu District, Chengdu. This cemetery was accidentally discovered during the construction of Chengdu Metro Line 3. The archaeological team excavated a total of four earth pit wooden coffin tombs from the Western Han Dynasty. In one of the tombs, four simulated loom models were found. According to experts, they are all Shu brocade jacquard loom models, and they are also the only unearthed and complete loom models of the Western Han Dynasty in my country. These four "mini" loom models are all scaled down according to the real looms. The looms even have silk threads. Their ingenious design, fine structure, and convenient operation are amazing (Figure 2). People can't help but marvel at the wisdom of our ancestors two thousand years ago. Without the support of modern mechanics theory, they were able to invent such a sophisticated and efficient mechanical device.

Figure 2. Four loom models unearthed from the Han Tomb at Laoguanshan in Chengdu and their structural diagrams. Image source: Reference 2

A bold idea that followed made the experts excited: Is it possible to replicate the Han Dynasty looms based on these models, and then use ancient craftsmanship to replicate the precious cultural relic - the "Five Stars Rising in the East, Bringing Good Luck to China" Han Dynasty brocade armguard?

It turns out that as early as the Han Dynasty, Shu brocade had been spread overseas through the Silk Road. In 1995, a piece of brocade armguard was unearthed at the Niya site in Xinjiang, more than 2,700 kilometers away from Chengdu. According to experts, it was a burial object of the nobles of the Jingjue Kingdom in the Western Regions during the Han Dynasty, and was made of Shu brocade. This brocade is colorful and exquisitely made. It has cloud patterns, five stars, auspicious animals and eight Chinese characters in Miao Zhuan style, "Five stars rise in the east, benefit China" (Figure 3). Its excavation has attracted great attention from the academic community. People have studied, discussed and speculated on the meaning of the brocade text and patterns, the origin of the brocade, the identity of the owner of the brocade and other mysteries. Everyone has always believed that the discovery of this brocade in Xinjiang confirms the close economic, trade and cultural exchanges between Xinjiang and the Han Dynasty, as well as the prosperity of the Silk Road. The "Five Stars" brocade has been identified as a national first-class cultural relic due to its extremely high academic value. It is one of the first batch of cultural relics prohibited from being exhibited abroad in China and is collected in the Xinjiang Museum.

Figure 3. “Five stars rise in the east, bringing prosperity to China” brocade pattern Image source: Reference 3

However, the people in Hotan, Xinjiang, where the "Five-Star" brocade was unearthed, could hardly see its beauty; considering its value as a national treasure, it is inconvenient to exhibit the authentic brocade; and the details of the production process of the brocade are still to be studied. In 2015, with the approval of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Cultural Heritage Bureau of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region commissioned the China National Silk Museum to restore the "Five-Star" brocade. The experts who undertook the restoration task thought of the Han Dynasty jacquard loom model, a national treasure unearthed from the Han Tomb of Laoguanshan in Chengdu and collected in the Chengdu Museum. They first used these models to replicate the ancient looms, and then spent three years to achieve the feat of replicating the "Five-Star" brocade with the original machine and original craftsmanship of the Han Dynasty (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Researchers from the China National Silk Museum demonstrate the weaving of "Five-Star Brocade" Image source: Reference 4

Not only that, national treasures have also been revived on the art stage. At the 2023 CCTV Spring Festival Gala, a dance segment "Jinxiu" inspired by the Han Dynasty brocade with the theme of "Five Stars Rising from the East, Bringing Good Luck to China" made a stunning debut and became a hit (Figure 5). The story of a piece of brocade spans thousands of miles and thousands of years, and is interpreted by artists with beautiful dance, telling people the legend of the Silk Road and showing the "harmony and beauty" of Chinese civilization.

Figure 5. 2023 CCTV Spring Festival Gala "Jinxiu" dance Image source: Reference 5

References:

1. Xie Tao, Wu Jiabi, Suo Dehao, et al. Han Dynasty Tomb at Laoguanshan, Tianhui Town, Chengdu[J]. Archaeology, 2014, (07): 59-70+2.

2. Luo Qun. Research on the restoration of looms unearthed from the Han tombs at Laoguanshan in Chengdu[J]. Cultural Relics Protection and Archaeological Science, 2017, 29(05): 26-32. DOI: 10.16334/j.cnki.cn31-1652/k.2017.05.004.

3. Wei Qiuting. Analysis on the value of the brocade of "Five stars rise in the east, bringing prosperity to China"[J]. Shanghai Arts and Crafts, 2023, (01): 110-112.

4. Han brocade woven by Han loom: "Five stars rising from the east bring benefits to China" brocade successfully replicated, The Paper.

5. "Five stars rise in the east, good for China"! This dance in the Spring Festival Gala is amazing, China Youth Network.

6. Yu Zhiyong. A vivid witness of diversity and unity: A brief note on the brocade arm guard of "Five stars rise in the east, bringing good luck to China"[J]. Chinese Ethnic Groups, 2023, (05): 76-77.

7. Guo Qiuyue, Yan Yi. Study on silk fabrics unearthed from the Niya Ruins of the Han Dynasty: A case study of the brocade armguard with the inscription "Five stars rise in the east, bringing good luck to China"[J]. Western Leather, 2021, 43(01):99-100.

8. Zhang Ming. Cultural relics activate the artistic imagination and expression innovation of history - review dance drama "Five Stars Rising from the East" [J]. Xinjiang Art (Chinese), 2023, (03): 78-81.