Tracing back to the history of Suzhou silk reeling weaving technology

Silk reeling originated in the 7th century and gradually matured from Han Dynasty to Sui and Tang Dynasties. By the Song Dynasty, it had occupied a prominent position in the weaving history of China. At that time, "Dingzhou in Hebei was the best" and "Xuanhe was the most prosperous." During the Southern Song Dynasty, silk reeling production in Suzhou also reached a certain scale. Since the Ming Dynasty, silk reeling skills have been widely spread in Suzhou and its surrounding areas such as Likou, Lumu, Huangqiao, Guangfu and Dongzhu, and become one of the most representative cultural expressions in this area. By the Ming Dynasty, Suzhou's silk weaving skills were more exquisite, and it was famous for its royal silk robes and cardigan fabrics in silk paintings and calligraphy. In the Qing dynasty, a new skill of combining painting with painting appeared.

The origin of silk reeling is based on the lace fragments of China's "China-Greece blended wool fabric" unearthed in Guloulan, Xinjiang, and the China silk stone tree fragments unearthed in Mongolia and China before liberation, both of which are plain fabrics with broken warp and weft. The former is made of wool silk, which can be called reeling, while the latter is made of pure silk, which can be called reeling. Their weaving methods are exactly the same as before the Song Dynasty, which proves that this weaving method of warp and weft fracture existed between Han and Wei Dynasties in China, and its weaving technology has reached a fairly complete level.

After Sui and Tang Dynasties, silk reeling products were the first of calligraphy and painting, and silk reeling was the most famous in Northern Song Dynasty and Southern Song Dynasty. Whether packaging, mounting or rolling artworks, landscapes, flowers and birds, figures, etc. Silk reeling technology has reached a considerable level. Kerou Zhu, a famous silk reeling artist in the Southern Song Dynasty, created the Lotus Pond Duck Map (now in Shanghai Museum). On the screen, there are blue waves, green reeds, red fruit egrets, green ducklings and mother ducks swimming around the pond. White lotus flowers are in full bloom and duckweeds are dotted in the water. The whole work is rigorous in composition, harmonious in color and lively. There are also Mei Que and Qing Bi Shan Shui by Shen Zifan, a famous reeling master (now in the Palace Museum in Beijing). These works have unique artistic style, exquisite workmanship and unique charm.

After arriving in Jingkang, due to the cowardice and incompetence of the ruling class in the Song Dynasty, the north was invaded by foreigners, so it moved its capital to Lin 'an (now Hangzhou). At that time, the political, economic and cultural centers shifted from north to south, and many famous craftsmen were also brought to the south. During this period, silk reeling began to be popular and developed in Songjiang and Suzhou, and then it was mainly concentrated in Suzhou burial, Likou and Guanguang. Shen Zifan and Wu Xu were both famous craftsmen in Suzhou (Wu Jun) during this period.

In the Yuan Dynasty, the art of silk reeling has turned to daily necessities, characterized by the first use of gold in silk reeling, which is widely used in temple supplies and official uniforms. The golden color in Yuan Dynasty had a great influence on Ming and Qing Dynasties. By the Ming Dynasty, the art of silk reeling had been further developed. In addition to the royal silk reeling artists in the court of the Ming Dynasty, Suzhou silk reeling has also reached a considerable scale and formed its own style. At that time, there were a group of artists engaged in silk reeling in Luwang Tomb Town outside Qimen, Suzhou. The Birthday Picture of Yaochi (collected by the Palace Museum in Beijing) by Zhu, a famous arts and crafts artist, has a clear outline and is particularly prominent. Therefore, Suzhou was the most famous in the Ming Dynasty. It seems that silk reeling was not found in other areas except Beijing and Suzhou in the Ming Dynasty.

The biggest feature of silk reeling in Ming Dynasty is to use silk reeling as a court art to make the emperor's robes. Ming Di's robes unearthed in the underground palace of the Ming Tombs in Beijing are an example. The second is the combination of realism and decoration, including landscapes, flowers and birds, figures, calligraphy and so on. , mainly small picture books, rich in decoration. Especially in weaving characters, it is a great innovation. Shen Zhou's "The Fairy of Flat Peach" and the famous martial arts production "Playing with Baby" are all woven with vivid characters. This shows the unique artistic style of Wei Ming silk. In the Qing Dynasty, generally speaking, silk reeling works were unique by combining silk reeling with painting. But there are also many silk reeling works with exquisite workmanship. Such as reeling works of art "Three Stars" and "Eight Immortals' Birthday". Especially in reeling, there are poems and songs everywhere, such as "Imperial Samsung".

In the 1960s, from copying the name of silk reeling in the Southern Song Dynasty, artists resumed their endangered silk reeling skills before the founding of the People's Republic of China. By the 1970s and 1980s, five silk reeling factories had been established in Suzhou, and the silk reeling weaving technology had achieved unprecedented development.