Chengdu Shu Brocade and Embroidery Museum
Gowning glory
Traditional art loses youth
2009 Beijing 798 Art Festival Themed Exhibition will Open |
Caroline Portsmouth enjoys visiting Huanhuaxi Park in Chengdu not only because the mammoth expanse is naturally pleasant, but also because it is just a 10-minute walk from the new Chengdu Shu Brocade and Embroidery Museum. The museum has joined the must-see list of many other sights in the capital of Sichuan province because it displays an important symbol of the 3,000-year-old city, the British teacher said. Owned by the famed Shu Brocade Institute, the museum was established with items from the half-century-old Chengdu Shu Brocade Factory. But its items tell a much longer story, including tales of South Silk Road that began use more than 2,000 years ago. The ancient trade route started in Chengdu, passed through Yunnan province and then on to Myanmar, India, Central Asia and ending in Europe. It started 200 years before the North Silk Road. The museum also has carvings depicting the 12 processes of silk production, jacquard looms, representative works of Shu Brocade from different dynasties, modern brocade featuring giant pandas, silk dragon robes used on stage and popular silk purses, bags, quilts, ties, fanons, garments and namecard holders. Most of the items on display are on sale and are popular with visitors, overseas visitors in particular, said Jiang Ling, a young English-speaking guide. Long history Together with the Song and Yun Brocades of Jiangsu province and Zhuang Brocade in Guangxi, Shu-style is one of China's four most famous schools of brocade. It is the oldest school from which the other three evolved. In 2006, Shu Brocade weaving techniques were included on the list of China's Intangible Cultural Heritage by the State Council. So important was the silk trade by the time of the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-24AD) a special official bearing the title Brocade Officer was appointed by the emperor. The Brocade Officer is like today's minister of textiles, said professor Huang Nengfu of Tsinghua University. Shu Embroidery, whose center is in Chengdu, has another name - Sichuan Embroidery. The skill of Shu Embroidery was included on the list of China's Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2006 by the State Council and the Ministry of Culture. Shu Embroidery is one of the four schools of embroidery in China together with the Su Embroidery in Jiangsu province, the Xiang Embroidery in Hunan province and the Yue Embroidery in Guangdong province. According to a study of the ceremonial robes with dragon patterns depicted on a bronze statue unearthed from the Sanxingdui Ruins in Guanghan, about 40 km from Chengdu, experts inferred that Shu Embroidery was mature in the Shang dynasty (about 1,600-1,100 BC). For more information: source: China Daily |