Legacy Trails: Brocade that travels from dynasties to modernity

"One inch of Nanjing Yunjin brocade is worth one inch of gold."

Since ancient times, people have been using the saying to describe luxury silk fabric made in Nanjing City of east China's Jiangsu Province.

In fact, its weaving techniques are so intricate that historically, weavers created a wooden shuttle loom with over 1,900 parts specifically to produce garments for the emperor and his family.

This delicate craftsmanship, particularly the weaving of gold and silver threads and the inclusion of peacock feathers, remains so complex that even the most advanced machines today cannot replicate it entirely.

What's more, its vibrant colors are often compared to the beautiful hues of the sky, giving it another name: cloud brocade.

The shuttle-woven textile representing the peak of China's weaving techniques was recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.

However, mastering this craft is a quite painstaking process, according to Chen Cheng, a Yunjin inheritor.

The basics, such as understanding the properties of the raw silk, operating the looms, mastering the nuances of hundreds of colors, and knotting of tens of thousands of threads, require at least three years of training, Chen told CGTN.

In this episode, Chen shares a brief history of Yunjin and offers insights on how to preserve this cultural heritage.

You'll also witness firsthand how the loom operates and how gold is intricately woven into the fabric, revealing why "one inch of gold" is not just a figurative expression for Yunjin brocade.

(Cover image designed by CGTN's Liu Shaozhen)