UNESCO-Listed Nanjing Yunjin Brocade: One Master’s 50-Year Quest to Keep a Dying Art Alive

In Nanjing’s Yunjin Brocade Museum, a giant wooden loom stands as a monument to patience. Measuring 5.6 meters long and 4 meters high, it requires two craftsmen working in tandem: one above lifting threads, one below weaving patterns. In eight hours, they produce just five to six centimeters of fabric. This is Nanjing Yunjin, a silk brocade with a 1,600-year history, worthy of an old saying: ‘an inch of Yunjin is worth an inch of gold.’

Zhou Shuangxi, now in his 60s, has dedicated over five decades to this craft. A Nanjing native, he joined the Nanjing Yunjin Brocade Research Institute as an apprentice in 1973. In the 1980s, he and his colleagues achieved a milestone: they reproduced a dragon robe fabric using twisted gold and peacock feather threads, reviving a technique lost for more than 300 years. ‘Reproducing cultural relics is essential,’ Zhou says, ‘as the restoration process itself is a way to understand and revive the craft.’

Yunjin brocade was once imperial tribute from the Yuan to Qing dynasties. Today, it holds dual UNESCO recognition—first inscribed on China’s national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006, then on UNESCO’s global list in 2009. The weaving process involves over 100 subdivided steps, from design to loom making.

Modernization is underway. The research institute now uses CAD-assisted design to improve efficiency and quality. The museum showcases products from fashion to home decor, attracting younger buyers. Yunjin has also graced international stages: during ‘Nanjing Week’ in Milan (2015) and Paris (2024), and at the 2026 China International Fashion Week, where traditional silk met modern tailoring.

Zhou’s team is cultivating the next generation through museum training and courses at Nanjing Mochou Secondary Vocational School, blending industry with education. He believes the craft can extend into daily life—clothes, furniture, even car interiors. ‘Passing down the craft means preserving core techniques while embracing innovation,’ he says.

Article and image source: taiwansun.com