Hangzhou Brocade

Hangzhou Brocade

　　　sssProduct Origin: Hangzhou

　　　　Product Features: Brilliant colors, fine weaving, bright hues, and elegant patterns.

　　　　Product Introduction: Hangzhou Brocade is known for its brilliant colors and fine craftsmanship, and is hailed as the "Flower of Oriental Art." It comes in over 1,000 varieties, mainly categorized into scenic brocade and decorative brocade. Scenic brocade excels in depicting figures, animals, landscapes, and scenery, capable of reproducing famous paintings while preserving their original charm. The renowned brocade painting “Eight Immortals in a Longevity Character” integrates calligraphy, traditional Chinese painting, and brocade weaving techniques. It weaves the eight immortals, including Zhang Guolao and Lü Dongbin, into a longevity character—up close, you see the distinct expressions of the eight immortals; from afar, you see a bold and powerful longevity character, enhanced by shimmering effects that create endless charm. Decorative brocade emphasizes a blend of utility and ornamentation, featuring bright colors and tasteful designs. Examples include brocade bedspreads and table covers with patterns inspired by well-known stories like “Dream of the Red Chamber” and “The Romance of the Western Chamber,” adorned with tassels that exude elegance. Hangzhou Brocade is a traditional export product of Zhejiang, produced by the Dujinsheng Silk Weaving Mill, and is sold to over 100 countries and regions across five continents.

　　　　Product History: A heavy-warp, multi-colored brocade primarily made of real silk and rayon, produced in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. During the Five Dynasties period, official silk weaving workshops emerged in Hangzhou. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Hangzhou became the center of China’s silk industry, with large-scale official brocade workshops housing hundreds of looms and over a thousand artisans, while private silk workshops also flourished. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Hangzhou brocade gained national fame for its exquisite craftsmanship. In 1922, entrepreneur Dujinsheng founded the Dujinsheng Silk Weaving Mill in Hangzhou. Hangzhou brocade is divided into three main categories: brocade satin, antique satin, and Dujinsheng brocade, among which Dujinsheng brocade is unique for using jacquard techniques to depict photography and painting art. Varieties mainly include portraits, landscapes, table covers, cushions, bedspreads, as well as patterned curtains, scarves, shawls, interior decorative fabrics, and ethnic minority robe materials. Portrait and landscape brocades are often based on ancient Chinese paintings or photographs, particularly those of West Lake, available in both black-and-white and color versions. Black-and-white scenic brocades use white silk as the warp and black-and-white rayon as the weft, creating varied patterns to depict water, mountains, mist, rain, and the artistic effects of Chinese ink painting. Notable works include “Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains” and “The Source of Silk.”