Yunjin's scintillating silks
New exhibition in Shanghai spins the magic of the historical royal brocade tradition, Xu Haoyu reports.
In 2006, Yunjin was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage forms in China. In 2009, it was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
Having been passed down for 1,600 years, Yunjin brocade is a traditional treasure, as its cross-stitch and plain knitting express the freedom and skillfulness of human hands and to date, the traditional craft of making the same flower in different color patterns still cannot be done using modern machines.
The Shanghai exhibition, Intangible Cultural Heritage Yunjin Modern Art Aesthetics, is a comprehensive showcase of the process of craftsmanship and tools used in making Yunjin, as well as luxury garments, and art pieces that have been presented as State gifts to foreign leaders.
