Changyi Silk

Changyi Silk

Changyi silk is a geographical indication protected product.

　　Changyi silk, also known as willow silk, is produced in Changyi City, Shandong Province. Changyi is a renowned ancient silk town. The 1915 edition of Cihai states: “Cocoon silk... is most famous when woven in Shandong, with the finest quality coming from Changyi.” Changyi silk features a wide range of colors and patterns, with excellent quality. It has good drape, a gracefully flowing texture, and an elegant and luxurious appearance. In 2006, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine approved the implementation of geographical indication product protection for Changyi silk.

　　　　Changyi has long been known as an ancient silk town. Its silk enjoys a reputation for being “as light as paper, as soft as cotton, without creases or wrinkles, lively and fluttering, skin-friendly and sweat-resistant, durable and sturdy.” The production of silk here dates back over 3,000 years to the Zhou Dynasty, when people began “raising silkworms and weaving silk.”

　　The earliest recorded mention of the origin of Changyi silk is found in the “Lai Zhou Fu Zhi” (Annals of Lai Zhou Prefecture) compiled during the Ming Dynasty’s Wanli era. The section on “local products” records that the area produced “silk, cotton, hemp, fine cloth, fabrics, and mountain cocoon silk,” dating back 400 years. The clearest documentation comes from the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong five-year period (1740), where the “Lai Zhou Fu Zhi” under the “cargo category” section states: “Changyi produces mountain cocoon silk,” referred to as a specialty of Jiaodong Changyi. According to Ruan Xiang’s 1923 “China Yearbook,” it is noted that “China’s cocoon silk industry is first in Shandong... and within Shandong, Changyi is first,” indicating the growing prosperity of the Changyi silk industry. After 1949, the industry developed rapidly, reaching a heyday described as “lights ablaze like stars, the sound of looms heard in every village and household.”

　　Production Situation

　　　　Changyi City cultivates 2,667 hectares of high-quality mulberry fields, producing 2.5 million kilograms of premium-quality cocoons annually, and 400 tons of high-quality white raw silk. The city’s silk weaving enterprises are equipped with internationally first-class silk reeling machines, main silk production equipment, and auxiliary machinery totaling more than 1,000 units, yielding 12 million meters of silk annually. The products not only offer a complete range of designs and varieties, but also surpass those from Sichuan, Yunnan, and even Suzhou and Hangzhou in quality. Traditional pure silk products have been gifted multiple times by national leaders to foreign dignitaries.

　　Origin Environment

　　　　Changyi has fertile soil rich in nutrients, highly suitable for mulberry tree growth. Moreover, the region experiences distinct seasons, concurrent rain and heat, clear dry and wet periods, warm springs, and hot, humid, rainy summers. With abundant sunshine throughout the year, the conditions are favorable for mulberry tree growth, nutrient accumulation in leaves, and pest control. This superior environment provides an excellent base for sericulture in Changyi.

　　Geographical Indication Product Protection

　　　　In accordance with the “Regulations on the Protection of Geographical Indication Products,” the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine conducted a review of the application for geographical indication product protection for Changyi silk. Upon passing the review, it was approved to implement geographical indication product protection for Changyi silk starting from September 4, 2006.

　　 Protection Scope

　　The protection scope of the Changyi silk geographical indication product is based on the range proposed in the “Letter Regarding the Application to Define the Protection Scope of the Changyi Silk Geographical Indication Product” (Chang Zheng Han [2005] No. 10) issued by the People’s Government of Changyi City, Shandong Province, covering the current administrative region of Changyi City, Shandong Province.