Cotton Textile History

1. About the history of textiles

The history of textile development in China. Ancient Chinese textiles used fibers of linen, silk, wool and cotton as raw materials. Reeling) is processed into yarn and then knitted (picked) and woven, usually called textiles.

Textiles in different periods are one of the measures of human progress and civilization. China had mastered textile technology as early as the Neolithic Age.

Ancient China's silk and linen textile technology has reached a very high level and enjoys a high reputation in the world. The ancient Roman Empire first called China the "Land of Silk" through the spread of silk fabrics on the "Silk Road".

At the Hemudu site in Yuyao, Zhejiang during the Neolithic Age (about 7,000 years ago), a double-stranded thread of amaranth was found. Four silkworm patterns were carved on the unearthed ivory cup. A spinning wheel and spinning wheel were also unearthed. machine parts. At the Cao Xie Mountain site in Wuxian County, Jiangsu Province (approximately 6,000 years ago), woven double warp Luo (two warps twisted and circled with diamond patterns) Gebu was unearthed. The warp density is 10/cm, and the weft density is 13~ 14 fibers/cm, and the grain part is 26~28 fibers/cm. It is the earliest kudzu fiber textile.

At the Qingtai site in Zhengzhou, Henan (approximately 5,500 years ago), ramie and hemp cloth patterns adhered to red pottery pieces, and silk and fragments adhered to skulls were discovered , and more than 10 red pottery spinning wheels, which are the earliest silk fabrics. Refined silk fabric fragments were unearthed from the Qianshanyang site in Wuxing, Zhejiang (about 5,000 years ago). The warp and weft density of the silk is 48 threads/cm, and the twist direction of the silk is Z twist; the width of the silk ribbon is 5 mm, and 16 thick and thin silk threads are used It is interwoven; the projected width of the silk rope is about 3 mm. It is made of 3 wire bundles and twisted together. The twist direction is S twist and the twist degree is 35 pieces/10 cm.

This shows that the silk weaving technologies such as reeling, plying and twisting had reached a certain level at that time. Several pieces of ramie cloth were unearthed at the same time, with a warp density of 24 to 31 threads/cm and a weft density of 16 to 20 threads/cm, which is a step further than the hemp textile technology of Cao Xieshan Gebu.

The colorful striped 罽 indicates that wool textile technology has further developed. Blue-gray cotton (Copok kapok) cloth was unearthed from a boat coffin in Wuyishan, Chong'an, Fujian (3200 years ago). The density of warp and weft is 14 threads/cm each, and the twist direction of the warp and weft yarns is S twist.

Silk and linen fabrics were also unearthed. The above-mentioned textiles made of natural fibers such as linen, silk, wool and cotton show that China's textile technology has progressed considerably in the Neolithic Age.

During the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the social economy developed further during this period, and the royal family's demand for textiles increased day by day. The rulers of the Zhou Dynasty established textile-related official positions to control the production and collection of textiles.

There are many varieties of silk fabrics in the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The fabrics unearthed from the Taixi site in Gaocheng, Hebei Province and adhered to bronze vessels include plain weave, wrinkled 縠, twisted warp luo, and three pieces (2/ 1) The rhombus pattern. The silk fabrics attached to the bronzes from Fuhao's tomb at Yinxu in Anyang, Henan Province include gauze (silk), cinnabar-dyed silk, double warp and double weft silk, and fretwork qi. The Yinxu also has silk ropes, ribbons and other physical objects. .

Fragments of mountain-shaped patterned silk with double weft structure were unearthed from the Western Zhou Dynasty tomb in Rujiazhuang, Baoji, Shaanxi. Entering the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, silk fabrics became even more colorful. Brocades with geometric patterns, brocades with dragons and phoenixes, and brocades filled with swallow patterns were unearthed from Chu tombs in Changsha, Hunan. A large number of brocades were unearthed from Chu tombs in Jiangling, Hubei.

The largest number of woolen fabrics unearthed from the Aragou ancient tomb in Turpan, Xinjiang, is superior to those unearthed from the Hami Wubao site in terms of color variety and textile technology. Among the textiles of the Han Dynasty, the silk and linen textiles unearthed from the Mawangdui Han Tomb in Changsha, Hunan and the Qin and Han Tombs in Jiangling, Hubei have the largest number and the most complete varieties of designs and colors, including a plain gauze single garment weighing only 49 grams, an ear cup-shaped rhombus pattern, and a pair of bird and flower patterns. , hidden flower peacock pattern brocade, embossed brocade and loop brocade and other high-end jacquard silk fabrics.

There are also precious printed silk fabrics such as printed colored yarn and mud gold and silver printed yarn that were discovered for the first time. The Han Dynasty fabrics unearthed along the Silk Road are even more brilliant.

In 1959, unearthed from an Eastern Han Dynasty tomb at the Niya site in Minfeng, Xinjiang, there were brocade robes with the official character "Wishi Ruyi", brocade gloves and socks with the character "Prolong life and live for future generations". Wool fabrics include valuable varieties such as tortoise shell four-petal pattern, *** grape pattern, Mauro and carpet.

Batik printed cotton and plain cotton fabrics were discovered here for the first time. Song Dynasty The textile industry in the Song Dynasty had developed to 43 states across the country, and the center of gravity moved south to Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

Among the silk fabrics, Hua Luo and Qi Ling are the most common. There are more than 200 pieces of clothing with various Luo weaves unearthed from the tomb of Huangsheng in the Song Dynasty. The rib weave structure includes two-warp twist, three-warp twist, four-warp twist Sulu, and various weaves such as plain weave, relief weave, twill, and variable twill. There are floral patterns, jacquard patterns with falling flowers and flowing water at intervals of thick and thin wefts, etc.

The patterns of Qiling are mainly decorated with peonies, peonies, rose hibiscus, chrysanthemums, etc. In addition, there is pine, bamboo and plum satin unearthed for the first time.

Printing and dyeing products have developed into a variety of printing techniques that combine gilding, gold tracing, gold printing, gold pasting, and color application. Among the Kesi tapestry of the Song Dynasty, Zhu Kerou's "Lotus and Breast Duck Picture" is the most exquisite, and it is a treasure handed down from generation to generation, which is famous both at home and abroad.

Cotton fabrics developed rapidly in the Song Dynasty, replacing linen fabrics and becoming popular clothing materials. Songjiang cotton was known as "the world's clothing and quilts". Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties The textiles of the Yuan Dynasty were most famous for their gold brocade (Na Shi Shi).

The gold-woven brocade unearthed from Xinjiang Salt Lake in 1970 has a warp diameter of 0.15 mm, a weft diameter of 0.5 mm, and a warp and weft density of 52 threads/cm and 48 threads/cm; The warp and weft density is 65 threads/cm and 40 threads/cm, which is more magnificent. For the first time, five regular satin patterns were unearthed from the Yuan Tomb in Zouxian, Shandong.

Among the textiles of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the tributes produced by the three weaving companies in the south of the Yangtze River (Jianning, Suzhou, and Hangzhou) had the highest craftsmanship. Among them, various patterns and patterns such as zhuanghua gauze, zhuanghualuo, zhuanghua brocade, and zhuanghua satin were rich. feature. Shu brocade, Song brocade, Zhijin brocade and Zhuanghua (Yunjin) brocade, which are rich in national traditional characteristics, are collectively called the "Four Famous Brocades".

In 1958, 165 volumes of brocade and more than 200 robes were unearthed from the Dingling Tomb of the Ming Dynasty in Beijing. For the first time, the actual objects of single-sided velvet and double-sided velvet were discovered. The warp and weft density of one piece of velvet was 64 threads/cm and 36 threads/cm, and the height of velvet hair was 0.2 mm.

Cotton fabric production has spread all over the country. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the government alone needed 15 million to 20 million pieces of cotton cloth.

Exquisite and luxurious silk fabrics are exported to Asian and European countries through the land and maritime Silk Road. Other ginseng. 2. The history of cotton fabrics

Human beings have used cotton for a long time. It has been used in Central America as early as 5000 BC or even 7000 BC, and it also has a history of 5000 years in the South Asian subcontinent. In my country, at least before 2000, cotton fiber was used as textile raw material in Guangxi, Yunnan, Xinjiang and other regions. Its economic value was not initially recognized. Suleiman, the famous ancient Japanese traveler, recorded in his "Suleiman's Travels" that the cotton seen in today's Beijing area was still viewed as a "flower" in gardens. "Liang Shu·Gaochang Biography" records: There is "grass in the land, which is like a cocoon, and the silk in the cocoon is like fine silk, which is called Baidiezi." It can be seen that cotton, an important raw material for the textile industry today, was originally regarded as Treat it like flowers and grass.

There are about three different ways for cotton to be introduced into my country. Based on the analysis of flora and historical data, it is generally believed that cotton spread to the Central Plains from the north and the south. The South Road was originally Asian cotton from India, which was introduced to Hainan Island and Guangdong and Guangxi regions through Southeast Asia. According to historical records, at least during the Qin and Han Dynasties, it was later introduced to Fujian, Guangdong, Sichuan and other regions. The second route was from India to Yunnan via Myanmar, around the Qin and Han Dynasties.

The third route is that African cotton was introduced to Xinjiang and the Hexi Corridor through West Asia. The time was around the Northern and Southern Dynasties. The North Route was the "Western Regions" in ancient books. During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, cotton spread to the vast areas of the Yangtze River and Yellow River basins. By the 13th century, the North Route Cotton has spread to the Wei River Basin in Shaanxi.

Historical documents and unearthed cultural relics prove that people of all ethnic groups in China’s border areas planted and utilized cotton much earlier than those in the Central Plains. Until the Han Dynasty, cotton textiles in the Central Plains were relatively rare and precious. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, cotton began to be transplanted to the Central Plains. The earliest cotton textile relic found in the Central Plains is a cotton blanket found in an ancient tomb of the Southern Song Dynasty. From this period onwards, cotton gradually replaced silk and became the main clothing material for our people. In the early years of the Yuan Dynasty, the Communist Party of China established the Kapok Lifting Department and levied cotton cloth from the people on a large scale, up to 100,000 pieces per year. Later, cotton cloth was regarded as the top of the summer tax (cloth, silk, silk, cotton). It can be seen that Cotton has become the main textile clothing material. After the Yuan Dynasty, they tried their best to collect cotton and cotton cloth, published books on cotton planting techniques, and encouraged people to plant cotton. From the records in "Tiangong Kaiwu" written by Song Yingxing of the Ming Dynasty that "cotton cloth can be found in every inch of land" and "there must be a loom in every ten rooms", it can be seen that cotton planting and cotton weaving had spread all over the country at that time.

Due to the poor quality and low yield of African cotton and Asian cotton, by the end of the Qing Dynasty, my country successively introduced improved upland cotton varieties from the United States. All the upland cotton varieties grown in our country were upland cotton and its variants from various countries.

In the 1960s, many countries successively carried out research and experiments on colored cotton. In the 1990s, the United States took the lead in making breakthrough progress in transforming and utilizing wild colored cotton. Colored cotton is naturally grown colored cotton. Because of its natural color, it does not require printing, dyeing, bleaching and other Chinese processes. It not only avoids the pollution of water quality and the harm of fabrics by dyes, but also reduces industrial costs. Therefore, colored cotton fabrics have become "Green and environmentally friendly products" and "the future darling of the market" are increasingly favored by consumers. 3. About the history of textiles

The history of textile development in China. Ancient Chinese textiles used fiber of linen, silk, wool, and cotton as raw materials, and were processed into yarn by spinning (sand spinning, editing, and reeling). Fabrics that are later knitted (pick-woven) and woven are usually called textiles.

Textiles in different periods are one of the measures of human progress and civilization. China had mastered textile technology as early as the Neolithic Age.

Ancient China's silk and linen textile technology has reached a very high level and enjoys a high reputation in the world. The ancient Roman Empire first called China the "Land of Silk" through the spread of silk fabrics on the "Silk Road".

In the Neolithic Hemudu site in Yuyao, Zhejiang (about 7,000 years ago), a double-stranded thread of amaranth was found. Four silkworm patterns were carved on the unearthed ivory cup. A spinning wheel and spinning wheel were also unearthed. machine parts. At the Cao Xie Mountain site in Wuxian County, Jiangsu Province (approximately 6,000 years ago), woven double-warp Luo (two warps twisted and circled with diamond patterns) Gebu was unearthed. The warp density is 10/cm, and the weft density is 13~ 14 fibers/cm, and the grain part is 26~28 fibers/cm. It is the earliest kudzu fiber textile.

At the Qingtai site in Zhengzhou, Henan (about 5,500 years ago), ramie and hemp cloth patterns adhered to red pottery pieces, silk and fragments adhered to skulls, and more than 10 red pottery spinning wheels were discovered , this is the earliest silk fabric. Refined silk fabric fragments were unearthed from the Qianshanyang site in Wuxing, Zhejiang (about 5,000 years ago). The warp and weft density of the silk is 48 threads/cm, and the twist direction of the silk is Z twist; the width of the silk ribbon is 5 mm, and 16 thick and thin silk threads are used It is interwoven; the projected width of the silk rope is about 3 mm. It is made of 3 wire bundles and twisted together. The twist direction is S twist and the twist degree is 35 pieces/10 cm.

This shows that the silk weaving technologies such as reeling, plying and twisting had reached a certain level at that time. Several pieces of ramie cloth were unearthed at the same time, with a warp density of 24 to 31 threads/cm and a weft density of 16 to 20 threads/cm, which is a step further than the hemp textile technology of Cao Xieshan Gebu.

The colorful striped 罽 indicates that wool textile technology has further developed. Blue-gray cotton (Copok kapok) cloth was unearthed from a boat coffin in Wuyishan, Chong'an, Fujian (3200 years ago). The density of warp and weft is 14 threads/cm each, and the twist direction of the warp and weft yarns is S twist.

Silk and linen fabrics were also unearthed. The above-mentioned textiles made of natural fibers such as linen, silk, wool and cotton show that China's textile technology has advanced considerably in the Neolithic Age.

During the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the social economy developed further during this period, and the royal family's demand for textiles increased day by day. The rulers of the Zhou Dynasty established textile-related official positions to control the production and collection of textiles.

There are many varieties of silk fabrics in the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The fabrics unearthed from the Taixi site in Gaocheng, Hebei Province and adhered to bronze vessels include plain weave, wrinkled 縠, twisted warp luo, and three pieces (2/ 1) The rhombus pattern. The silk fabrics attached to the bronzes from Fuhao's tomb at Yinxu in Anyang, Henan Province include gauze (silk), cinnabar-dyed silk, double warp and double weft silk, and fretwork qi. The Yinxu also has silk ropes, ribbons and other physical objects. .

Fragments of mountain-shaped patterned silk with double weft structure were unearthed from the Western Zhou Dynasty tomb in Rujiazhuang, Baoji, Shaanxi. Entering the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, silk fabrics became even more colorful. Brocades with geometric patterns, brocades with dragons and phoenixes, and brocades filled with swallow patterns were unearthed from Chu tombs in Changsha, Hunan. A large number of brocades were unearthed from Chu tombs in Jiangling, Hubei.

The largest number of woolen fabrics unearthed from the Aragou ancient tomb in Turpan, Xinjiang, is superior to those unearthed from the Hami Wubao site in terms of color variety and textile technology. Among the textiles of the Han Dynasty, the silk and linen textiles unearthed from the Mawangdui Han Tomb in Changsha, Hunan and the Qin and Han Tombs in Jiangling, Hubei have the largest number and the most complete varieties of designs and colors, including a plain gauze single garment weighing only 49 grams, an ear cup-shaped rhombus pattern, and a pair of bird and flower patterns. , hidden flower peacock pattern brocade, embossed brocade and loop brocade and other high-end jacquard silk fabrics.

There are also precious printed silk fabrics such as printed colored yarn and mud gold and silver printed yarn that were discovered for the first time. The Han Dynasty fabrics unearthed along the Silk Road are even more brilliant.

In 1959, unearthed from an Eastern Han Dynasty tomb at the Niya site in Minfeng, Xinjiang, there were brocade robes with the official character "Wishi Ruyi", brocade gloves and socks with the character "Prolong life and live for future generations". Wool fabrics include valuable varieties such as tortoise shell four-petal pattern, *** grape pattern, Mauro and carpet.

Batik printed cotton and plain cotton fabrics were discovered here for the first time. Song Dynasty The textile industry in the Song Dynasty had developed to 43 states across the country, and the center of gravity moved south to Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

Among the silk fabrics, Hua Luo and Qi Ling are the most common. There are more than 200 pieces of clothing with various Luo weaves unearthed from the tomb of Huangsheng in the Song Dynasty. The rib weave structure includes two-warp twist, three-warp twist, four-warp twist Sulu, and various weaves such as plain weave, relief weave, twill, and variable twill. There are floral patterns, jacquard patterns with falling flowers and flowing water at intervals of thick and thin wefts, etc.

The patterns of Qiling are mainly decorated with peonies, peonies, rose hibiscus, chrysanthemums, etc. In addition, there is pine, bamboo and plum satin unearthed for the first time.

Printing and dyeing products have developed into a variety of printing techniques that combine gilding, gold tracing, gold printing, gold pasting, and color application. Among the Kesi tapestry of the Song Dynasty, Zhu Kerou's "Lotus and Breast Duck Picture" is the most exquisite, and it is a treasure handed down from generation to generation, which is famous both at home and abroad.

Cotton fabrics developed rapidly in the Song Dynasty, replacing linen fabrics and becoming popular clothing materials. Songjiang cotton was known as "the world's clothing and quilts". Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties The textiles of the Yuan Dynasty were most famous for their gold brocade (Na Shi Shi).

The gold-woven brocade unearthed from Xinjiang Salt Lake in 1970 has a warp diameter of 0.15 mm, a weft diameter of 0.5 mm, and a warp and weft density of 52 threads/cm and 48 threads/cm; The warp and weft density is 65 threads/cm and 40 threads/cm, which is more magnificent. For the first time, five regular satin patterns were unearthed from the Yuan Tomb in Zouxian, Shandong.

Among the textiles of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the tributes produced by the three weaving companies in the south of the Yangtze River (Jianning, Suzhou, and Hangzhou) had the highest craftsmanship. Among them, various patterns and patterns such as zhuanghua gauze, zhuanghualuo, zhuanghua brocade, and zhuanghua satin were rich. feature.

Shu brocade, Song brocade, Zhijin brocade and Zhuanghua (Yunjin) brocade, which are rich in national traditional characteristics, are collectively called the "Four Famous Brocades".

In 1958, 165 volumes of brocade and more than 200 robes were unearthed from the Dingling Tomb of the Ming Dynasty in Beijing. For the first time, the actual objects of single-sided velvet and double-sided velvet were discovered. The warp and weft density of one piece of velvet was 64 threads/cm and 36 threads/cm, and the height of velvet hair was 0.2 mm.

Cotton fabric production has spread all over the country. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the government alone needed 15 million to 20 million pieces of cotton cloth. 4. When did ancient China start weaving cloth?

In primitive society, Lei Zu reeled silk and raised silkworms, pioneering textiles.

But it is just a legend and has no definite basis. This is the history of cotton textiles.

Documents and unearthed cotton textiles prove that people of all ethnic groups in China’s border areas planted and utilized cotton much earlier than those in the Central Plains. In ancient times, due to inconvenient transportation, the dominance of natural economy, and underdeveloped commodity production, cotton planting and cotton textile technology that had long been developed in border areas went through a long process of spreading to the Central Plains.

Until the Han Dynasty, cotton textiles in the Central Plains were relatively rare and precious. By the Song Dynasty, there were frequent exchanges between border areas and the hinterland. A large number of cotton textiles were imported into the Central Plains. Cotton and cotton cloth became widely popular in the hinterland. Cotton planting and cotton textile technology were gradually introduced.

In 1979, a blue-gray cotton cloth dating back more than 3,200 years was discovered in a ship coffin in a rock tomb in Wuyishan, Chong'an, Fujian (Figure 1). In 1966, a complete brushed cotton blanket was unearthed from a Song Dynasty tomb in Lanxi, Zhejiang (Figure 2).

These two unearthed cultural relics provide important clues for studying the development of cotton planting and cotton textile industry in southeastern China. Textile is a handicraft industry that serves human wear. Spinning and weaving, making clothes, covering ugliness and beautifying, protecting against cold and wind, and protecting against insects are probably the important motivations for the origin and development of textiles.

It is said in ancient history that the Chinese ancestors evolved from "no clothing without weaving" ① to "clothing with leather and reeds" ②, and then evolved to "women weaving and clothing" ③. This legend is consistent with the development law of clothing culture.

According to archaeological data, China's textile production customs have sprouted around the late Paleolithic Age. About 20,000 years ago, the top cave people in Beijing had learned to use bone needles to sew reed and leather clothes. Although this primitive sewing technique is not strictly textile, it can be said to be the beginning of primitive textile.

The birth of real textile technology and customs was popular in the Neolithic cultural period. "easy? "Xi Ci": "The Yellow Emperor, Yao and Shun hung down their clothes and ruled the world." The so-called clothes refer to clothes made of linen and silk and sewn into cloth.

This account reflects the true situation of the birth of China's textile industry in the Neolithic Age, when linen and silk clothes began to appear and become popular. The pottery spinning wheel unearthed from the Lower Dadiwan Culture in Qin'an, Gansu Province shows that the primitive textile industry appeared in the early Neolithic Age in the northwest region and has a history of about 8,000 years ago.

In the middle and late Neolithic Age, the primitive textile industry began to show a prosperous and rapid development trend. Textile-related relics can be found in cultural sites across the country. Among them, the most important ones include the following examples: Hemudu site in Yuyao, Zhejiang, which is nearly 7,000 years old.

Four silkworm patterns were found on the unearthed ivory cup, traces of double strands of amaranth were found, and wooden spinning wheels and spinning machine parts were unearthed. The Cao Xie Mountain site in Wuxian County, Jiangsu Province, is about 6,000 years old.

The earliest kudzu fiber textile discovered so far is a kudzu cloth made of simple leno tissue and the warp is made of double yarn. In 1926, an artificially split "silk-like, half cocoon shell" was discovered at the Yangshao Cultural Site in Xiyin Village, Xia County, Shanxi Province. This is the earliest physical silkworm cocoon so far, dating back more than 5,000 years.

The Qingtai site in Zhengzhou, Henan, is about 5,500 years old. Ramie, hemp cloth patterns and silk fragments adhered to red pottery pieces and skulls were found, as well as more than ten red pottery spinning wheels.

Among them, the silk fragments are the earliest actual silk fabrics so far.

The Yangshao Cultural Site in Nanyangzhuang, Zhengding, Hebei, dates back 5,400 years. In 1980, two pottery silkworm pupae were unearthed. These are the earliest pottery silkworm chrysalis to date.

Qianshanyang Site in Wuxing, Zhejiang, 4,700 years ago. In addition to the discovery of many ramie cloth fragments with more advanced hemp textile technology than Cao Xieshan Gebu, ribbons, silk ropes and silk silk fragments were also discovered.

Judging from the density, twisting direction and twisting degree of silk fabrics, Qianshanyang's silk weaving technologies such as reeling, plying and twisting have reached a considerable level. The above examples show that the techniques and customs of linen and silk weaving have rapidly developed and become popular in the Yellow River Basin and Yangtze River Basin in the middle and late Neolithic Age.

In particular, the discovery of Gebu in Luodi in Caoxiao Mountain has confirmed that the custom of "Summer Clothes with Gebu" did exist in the legendary "Five Emperors" era, that is, in the Neolithic Age. "Zuo Zhuan?" "The Seventh Year of Duke Ai": "Yu united the princes at Tushan, holding jade and silk for all nations."

Silk refers to silk fabrics, and all nations hold silk fabrics. Although his words are a bit exaggerated, they reflect the time of Yu and Xia The prevalence of silk weaving customs in the Ming Dynasty. "Emperor's Century": "Weixi (Meixi) liked to hear the sound of splitting the bamboo cable and laughed. Jie wanted to split the bamboo cable to suit his wishes." The bamboo cable that King Xia Jie tore to please Meixi is Refers to a type of silk fabric.

"Guanzi?" "Light and Heavy Armor": "In the time of Jie in the past, there were three thousand female musicians...all of whom were accustomed to wearing Wenxiu clothes." This kind of "Wenxiu clothes" are naturally not silk fabrics, which shows the development of the silk weaving industry in the Xia Dynasty. and the popularity of silk weaving customs.

The textile situation of the Xia Dynasty has also been revealed in archaeological excavations: in 1960, a copper bell unearthed at the Erlitou site had traces of a layer of textile adhered to it. The excavators observed that it was linen. trace. In 1980, a jade kui from Tomb No. 2 excavated in Area III of the Erlitou site had linen remnants adhered to the blade and top.

In 1981, traces of linen were also found on animal-faced bronze medals and a bronze bell unearthed from tombs at the Erlitou site. The above archaeological discoveries show that in the Xia Dynasty, in addition to the silk weaving industry that was popular in literature and legends, the weaving custom of magnolia was probably mainly popular among the middle and lower classes of society.

The textiles of the Shang Dynasty included at least silk weaving, linen weaving, woolen weaving, cotton weaving, etc. Silk weaving in the Shang Dynasty has been fully reflected in the oracle bone inscriptions unearthed in the Yin Ruins.

Oracle bone inscriptions have seen the words mulberry, silkworm, and silk. The word mulberry is like the pictogram of a mulberry tree. There is no doubt that mulberry trees were planted in the Shang Dynasty. Mulberry is planted to raise silkworms, and the Chinese character for silkworm is also the zodiac sign of silkworm.

Half a silkworm cocoon was discovered at the Yangshao Cultural Site in Xiyin Village, Xia County, Shanxi Province. Silkworm inscriptions were also found on the tooth carving cups at Hemudu, Zhejiang Province. Silk fabrics discovered in Qingtai, Zhengzhou and Qianshanyang, Zhejiang Province all illustrate the new There is no doubt that the custom of sericulture existed in the Stone Age. The custom of sericulture became even more popular in the Shang Dynasty. This is a conventional inheritance and development. It is said that the sericulture industry was very developed in the Shang Dynasty. There is no doubt that the jade silkworms discovered in the Yin Ruins archeology That is a strong evidence. Silkworms are raised in order to extract silk. After extracting silk, silk can be weaved. The silk characters in Oracle Bone Inscriptions are two bundles of wrapped silk figurines.

Mulberry, silkworms, and silk are the prerequisites for silk weaving. The emergence and development of mulberry planting, silkworm raising, and silk spinning technologies also made the silk weaving industry of the Shang Dynasty possible. 5. When did the household textile industry appear?

Textile and printing and dyeing technology have a very long history. As early as the primitive society, in order to adapt to climate changes, the ancients knew how to use local materials and utilize natural resources. As a raw material for textiles, printing and dyeing, and for manufacturing simple textile tools. To this day, our daily clothes, some daily necessities and works of art are all products of textile and printing and dyeing technology.

Chinese machine-based textiles originated from spinning wheels and waist looms in the Neolithic period five thousand years ago. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, simple mechanical reels, spinning wheels, and looms with traditional functions appeared one after another. Jacquard looms and twill looms were widely used in the Han Dynasty. After the Tang Dynasty, Chinese textile machinery became increasingly perfect, which greatly promoted the development of the textile industry.

Diversification of textile raw materials

The development of ancient and modern textile processes and equipment are all designed in response to textile raw materials. Therefore, raw materials play an important role in textile technology.

The fibers used for textiles in various countries in the ancient world were all natural fibers, generally three types of short fibers: wool, linen, and cotton. For example, the fibers used for textiles in the Mediterranean region were only wool and flax; in the Indian peninsula, cotton was used before. In addition to using these three fibers, ancient China also made extensive use of long fiber-silk.

Silk is the finest, longest and finest textile fiber among all natural fibers, and can be used to weave various complex patterned jacquard fabrics. The extensive utilization of silk fibers has greatly promoted the progress of ancient Chinese textile technology and textile machinery, making silk weaving production technology the most distinctive and representative textile technology in ancient China.

The textile industry in China is a highly labor-intensive and highly dependent on foreign countries. China is the world's largest producer and exporter of textiles and apparel. The sustained and steady growth of textiles and apparel exports is crucial to ensuring China's foreign exchange reserves, international balance of payments, stability of the RMB exchange rate, solving social employment problems and the sustainable development of the textile industry.