Yun brocade well inherited in small town in E China's Jiangsu

Hongyao, a small town in Lianshui county, Huai'an city, east China's Jiangsu Province, produces more than half of all Yunjin, or Yun brocade, in China.

Photo shows a piece of Yun brocade. (Photo/Zuo Dachao)

In 1989, a woman named Liu Juhong returned to her hometown of Hongyao town after training in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu Province, and set out to start her own business. With 6,000 yuan (about $851) borrowed from others, she built a simple adobe house. Her most valuable possessions were four old looms she had borrowed from the Nanjing Yunjin Research Institute.

It takes one to two years to train a skilled weaver, and each loom requires two people to operate. In the 1990s, demand for Yun brocade was largely limited to areas inhabited by ethnic minority communities.

Xia Peihong, now production manager at Lianshui Tiangong Yunjin Weaving Co., Ltd., recalled that under Liu Juhong's guidance, she learned to twist silk threads, her fingertips controlling more than 10 strands of different thicknesses at once. After only half a day, her palms would ache and her fingertips would become red and sore. Operating the loom required a steady, even pace on the pedals; after a full day on her feet, her legs would be so numb she could barely take a step.

A turning point came quietly in the new century. In 2001, Yun brocade was officially recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage. As "Guochao," or China-chic trends, gained momentum and interest in traditional crafts rose, this once "hidden gem" gradually became a new favorite among consumers.

In 2002, another Yun brocade artisan Liu Guangshe returned to Hongyao town and founded Jiangsu Huaxia Yunjin Weaving Co., Ltd.

Aerial photo shows the Yun Brocade Industrial Park in Hongyao town, Lianshui county, Huai'an city, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Photo courtesy of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Lianshui County Committee)

To support the growth of the industry, the town developed a Yun brocade industrial park covering 120 mu (8 hectares), providing a fertile ground for clustered development.

Photo shows a Yun brocade weaving workshop. (Photo/Zuo Dachao)

For Lianshui Tiangong Yunjin Weaving Co., Ltd., its most celebrated work is a panoramic "Dream of the Red Chamber" brocade scroll measuring 128 meters long and 1 meter wide.

"This piece uses 19.9 kilograms of gold and over 10,000 meters of peacock feathers. 22 artisans worked in shifts, and it took 10 years to complete," said Xia. The work was exhibited in Sweden as an important project for the "Chinese culture going global" initiative.

While staying true to its traditional roots, innovation has helped this ancient craft become part of everyday life. Liu Guangshe, founder of Jiangsu Huaxia Yunjin Weaving Co., Ltd., explained that the company established a dedicated design team to bring Yun brocade into people's daily lives. Iconic patterns, once reserved for high-end screens and garments costing tens of thousands of yuan, are now applied to more affordable items such as silk scarves and sachets priced in the hundreds.

A weaver makes Yun brocade at the workshop of Lianshui Tiangong Yunjin Weaving Co., Ltd. in Hongyao town, Lianshui county, Huai'an city, east China's Jiangsu Province. (People's Daily Online/Ma Xiaobo)

At the workshop of Lianshui Tiangong Yunjin Weaving Co., Ltd., mother-and-daughter teams are common. "I started learning weaving in my twenties, and now my daughter has joined the trade. This craft has allowed our family to live a stable life," weaver Wang Yan said with a smile.

Wang now earns over 7,000 yuan a month, and although her daughter is still an apprentice, her income is also substantial.

Sun Zhiwan, director of the Economic Development Office of Hongyao town, said that the Yun brocade industry has trained over 400 professionals in Hongyao town, with an average annual income exceeding 60,000 yuan per person.