Silk has been one of Chinese civilization's iconic cultural symbols over thousands of years. The unfading patterns are often seen as its "soul", mirroring the culture and social conditions of that time as well as embodying ancestors' observations of nature and daily life.
An exhibition hosted by the Shanghai Social Sciences Development and Research Center and Donghua University Press opened on July 27 in Shanghai, bringing together over 100 representative silk patterns spanning five millennia.
Xie Fanhui of the Shanghai Social Science Museum, the exhibition's venue, shares with China Daily that outstanding traditional Chinese culture is one of the museum's main themes in its exhibition.
"With this exhibition, we aim not only to trace the millennia-long evolution of silk patterns, but also to explore the Chinese cultural roots embedded within these silk patterns through visual, tactile and interactive displays, bringing them from the depths of history into the daily lives of the public," says Xie.
The grand silk scroll etched with splendid ancient civilization patterns begins in the Xia (c. 21st century-16th century BC) and Shang (c. 16th century BC-11th century BC) dynasties. Silk was often used to wrap ritual items during the period, and the patterns, mostly geometric shapes representing clouds and thunder, are deeply connected with the bronze culture, symbolizing the natural rhythms of the universe.
Over the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (770-221 BC), silk weaving techniques saw significant progress, and the treadle loom emerged. Carrying on the traditions of the previous dynasties, the patterns became more complex during this time. They incorporated the Chu culture's unique charm, laying the foundation for the flourishing of silk art in later dynasties. Chu was a vassal state to the Western Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th century-771 BC) from about 2,000 years ago.
Representative patterns of the era include diamond patterns resembling ancient ear-shaped cups and dragon-phoenix-tiger motifs embodying the Chu people's worship of totems and their ideas of the supernatural world.
With the formation of a unified regime in the Qin (221-206 BC) and Han (206 BC-AD 220) dynasties, comprehensive ritual norms were established, and the Silk Road began to take shape. Confucian thought gradually integrated into folk aesthetics, and the silk patterns also reflect the bold, expansive characteristics of the era.
The representative cloud motif is regarded as the soul of Han Dynasty patterns. The pattern used fluid arcs to simulate clouds and was decorated with auspicious creatures to embody the Han people's pursuit of eternal life and immortality.
Calligraphic brocade with auspicious words and dogwood patterns was also popular at the time, including the national treasure-level artifact "Five Stars Rise in the East" brocade arm protector from the Xinjiang Museum, unearthed in 1995 at the Niya site in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
