Zhejiang Cultural Imprints | Silk from the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain

2020-05-18 06:19:15 source: FAO, Travel Guide of Zhejiang, ancient.eu


  • "Zhejiang Cultural Imprints" is a series of introductory articles introducing some of the most influential cultural heritages and cultural imprints in Zhejiang province. Today, we will bring you the story of the silk from the Hangjiahu (or Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou) Plain. 


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Silk products from the Hangzhou Silk Market


Among all the dazzling array of fabrics made in Zhejiang, the one that can win the world's reputation of China and foreign countries and maintain its enduring charm is the unique and unrivaled silk. 


As it is known to all, silk, as a renowned fabric is sometimes believed to be the "second skin" because of its unique features, such as elegance, softness, luxuriousness, and so on. 


China is the first country in the world to produce silk. This unearthed cultural relic shows that as early as more than 4,000 years ago in the Neolithic Age, the ancestors had already woven silkworms in the Hangjiahu (or Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou) Plain. 


The Hangjiahu Plain is located in the south of the Yangtze River and in the north of Zhejiang Province. It is part of the Taihu Lake Basin. The altitude of this region is about seven meters above sea level and in some places, paddy fields lie between 1.7 and 4.7 meters above sea level. This region is not only one of China's national key production bases for grains, mulberry, fish, livestock, and rapeseed, but also an area with developed township enterprises and rural industry. There are many lakes, pools, ponds, water channels, and a network of river systems.


The agricultural fertility of the Hangjiahu Plain has laid a solid foundation for the growth of the silk industry. The city of Hangzhou, which is also known as the "Silk Center" of China,  for example, enjoys a long history of sericulture and silk production. Sericulture, known as the cultivation of mulberry leaves, the tending of silkworms, the gathering of threads from their cocoons, and the weaving of silk is a major industry in the Hangjiahu Plain. Excavations at Hemudu in Zhejiang have revealed Neolithic tools for weaving and silk gauze. 


The fame of Chinese manufactured silk spread across the famous trade route which took its name - "Silk Road" - was the commodity’s importance to the Chinese economy. The Silk Road was actually an entire network of overland camel caravan routes connecting China to the Middle East and Europe. Silk - in the form of the thread, woven cloth, and finished products - was thus exported not only to neighboring states such as the Korean kingdoms and Japan but also to the great empires of India, Persia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome.  

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11973658 Zhejiang Cultural Imprints | Silk from the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain public html

  • "Zhejiang Cultural Imprints" is a series of introductory articles introducing some of the most influential cultural heritages and cultural imprints in Zhejiang province. Today, we will bring you the story of the silk from the Hangjiahu (or Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou) Plain. 


2.png

Silk products from the Hangzhou Silk Market


Among all the dazzling array of fabrics made in Zhejiang, the one that can win the world's reputation of China and foreign countries and maintain its enduring charm is the unique and unrivaled silk. 


As it is known to all, silk, as a renowned fabric is sometimes believed to be the "second skin" because of its unique features, such as elegance, softness, luxuriousness, and so on. 


China is the first country in the world to produce silk. This unearthed cultural relic shows that as early as more than 4,000 years ago in the Neolithic Age, the ancestors had already woven silkworms in the Hangjiahu (or Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou) Plain. 


The Hangjiahu Plain is located in the south of the Yangtze River and in the north of Zhejiang Province. It is part of the Taihu Lake Basin. The altitude of this region is about seven meters above sea level and in some places, paddy fields lie between 1.7 and 4.7 meters above sea level. This region is not only one of China's national key production bases for grains, mulberry, fish, livestock, and rapeseed, but also an area with developed township enterprises and rural industry. There are many lakes, pools, ponds, water channels, and a network of river systems.


The agricultural fertility of the Hangjiahu Plain has laid a solid foundation for the growth of the silk industry. The city of Hangzhou, which is also known as the "Silk Center" of China,  for example, enjoys a long history of sericulture and silk production. Sericulture, known as the cultivation of mulberry leaves, the tending of silkworms, the gathering of threads from their cocoons, and the weaving of silk is a major industry in the Hangjiahu Plain. Excavations at Hemudu in Zhejiang have revealed Neolithic tools for weaving and silk gauze. 


The fame of Chinese manufactured silk spread across the famous trade route which took its name - "Silk Road" - was the commodity’s importance to the Chinese economy. The Silk Road was actually an entire network of overland camel caravan routes connecting China to the Middle East and Europe. Silk - in the form of the thread, woven cloth, and finished products - was thus exported not only to neighboring states such as the Korean kingdoms and Japan but also to the great empires of India, Persia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome.  

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