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Civilization Object No. 006
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Nanjing Yunjin Brocade

南京云锦

A luxurious silk brocade woven with gold threads on traditional looms, once reserved for Chinese emperors and court nobles.

dna Heritage DNA
history Origin

Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368 CE)

category Domain

traditional crafts

verified Level

UNESCO Intangible Heritage

pin_drop Region

East China

pulse Status

active

person Key Masters
person

Zhou Jinsong

provincial

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Nanjing Yunjin, meaning "Cloud Brocade," is a luxurious silk textile woven on traditional wooden looms using gold and silver threads. Originating in the Yuan Dynasty and flourishing through Ming and Qing, it was reserved for imperial robes and court decorations. The craft requires extraordinary skill — a master weaver and assistant work together on a massive loom, producing only a few centimeters per day.

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Skills & Techniques

Yunjin Brocade Weaving expand_more

The traditional technique of weaving Nanjing Yunjin brocade on a "Da Hualou" wooden loom, requiring two master weavers working in synchronization.

Steps

  1. Design the pattern on graph paper (huapu)
  2. Prepare silk threads and dye them with natural pigments
  3. Wind gold and silver threads onto bobbins
  4. Set up the Da Hualou wooden loom with warp threads
  5. The master weaver pulls the pattern cords while the assistant throws the shuttle
  6. Beat the weft threads tightly to create a dense fabric
  7. Inspect and trim excess threads from the finished piece

Tools

Da Hualou wooden loom, bobbins, shuttle, pattern cords, scissors, comb beater

Materials

silk threads, gold threads, silver threads, natural dyes, peacock feather threads

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Relationship Constellation

This heritage item connects to 9 entities across the atlas — masters, places, festivals, and stories.

person Zhou Jinsong inheritor pin_drop Nanjing location build Yunjin Brocade Weaving skill person Yunjin Brocade Weaving media person Yuan Dynasty dynasty person Jiangnan region person Yunjin Brocade Weaving media person Sericulture and Silk Craftsmanship ich person Yunjin Brocade Weaving media
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