Design and Cultural Aspects of 20th Century Chinese Xiangjin Brocade

This article was funded by the following projects: 1.The Key Project of Philosophy and Social Science Research in Colleges and Universities (2018SJZDA130). 2.“333 Project” of Jiangsu Province for Young and Middle-aged Leading Talents at the Second Level (BRA2016366).

As one of the representative silk-woven artworks of the 20th century in China, Chinese Xiangjin brocade, well-known as “the flower of Oriental art”, draws on the essence of Sichuan brocade, Yun brocade, Song brocade, so as to form its own unique artistic style. It also takes the lead in the innovation of traditional brocade in key processes such as craftsmanship, design and jacquard, whose drawing technique is the exact core skill making it intangible cultural heritage. So far, there have been few studies on crafts and textile design in China before the 20th century or even after the reform and opening up, and rather fewer studies on the structure of Xiangjin brocade in the 20th century. This paper attempts to record and classify 1008 pieces of Xiangjin brocade in the Suzhou Silk Archive, China, as well as to find out their design features, oriental flavour, and unique weaving techniques. In addition, the cultural connotation of Xiangjin brocade as the painting medium was also put forward by analysing those brocades' historical texts, images, and style.