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Problems of daily necessities of the ancients. (Please provide information for 200 points)!

Ancient Chinese Textile Printing and Dyeing

The textile and printing and dyeing technology in ancient China has a very long history. As early as the primitive society period, in order to adapt to climate changes, the ancients knew how to use local materials. Utilize natural resources as raw materials for textiles, printing and dyeing, and to manufacture 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 the spinning wheels and waist looms of 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.

Various types of textile machines

1. Spindle

Spindle is the earliest tool used for spinning in Chinese history, and its appearance can be traced back to at least the Neolithic Age. According to archaeological data, the spinning wheel, the main component of the spinning pendant, has been unearthed in almost all the excavated early settlement sites in more than 30 provinces and cities across China. The early unearthed spinning wheels were generally made of simply polished stone or pottery shards. They had different shapes, mostly drum-shaped, round, oblate, quadrilateral, etc. Some wheels were also painted with patterns.

Author: Chu Xinmu 2008-1-29 17:23 Reply to this statement

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2 Replies: Ancient Chinese Textile Printing and Dyeing (reposted from Chinese Style Online)

The emergence of spinning pendants not only changed the textile production of primitive society, It had a profound influence on the development of spinning tools in later generations, and it has been used as a simple spinning tool for thousands of years. Even in the 20th century, some nomadic Tibetans in Tibet were still using it to spin.

2. Spinning Wheel

The spinning wheels commonly used in ancient times can be divided into two types: hand-operated spinning wheels and pedal spinning wheels according to their structures. Image data of hand-operated spinning wheels have been found many times in unearthed cultural relics of the Han Dynasty, indicating that hand-operated spinning wheels were very popular as early as the Han Dynasty. The pedal spinning wheel was developed on the basis of the hand spinning wheel. The earliest image data is the Eastern Han Dynasty portrait stone unearthed in Sihong County, Jiangsu Province. The power to drive the spinning wheel comes from the hand. When operating, you need to shake the spinning wheel with one hand and do the spinning work with the other hand. The power of the pedal spinning wheel to drive the spinning wheel comes from the feet. During operation, the spinning woman can use both hands to perform the spinning operation, which greatly improves work efficiency. The spinning wheel has been the most popular spinning machine since its emergence. Even in modern times, some remote areas still use it as the main spinning tool.

3. Water-powered spinning wheel

The number of spindles in ancient spinning wheels was generally 2 to 3, with a maximum of 5. During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, with the development of social economy, a large spinning wheel with dozens of spindles gradually emerged based on various handed down spinning wheel machines. The large spinning wheel is different from the original spinning wheel. Its characteristics are that it has dozens of spindles and is driven by water power. These characteristics make the large spinning wheel the prototype of modern spinning machinery and adapt to large-scale specialized production. Taking hemp spinning as an example, a general spinning wheel can spin up to 3 kilograms of yarn per day, while a large spinning wheel can spin more than a hundred kilograms in a day and night. When spinning, enough flax needs to be used to meet its production capacity. The hydraulic spinning wheel was an important invention in ancient China that applied natural force to textile machinery. In terms of spinning machinery using water power as the driving force, China was more than four centuries earlier than the West.

4. Pedal loom

Pedal loom is a general name for a loom with a foot pedal to lift the heddle and open the device. There is currently a lack of reliable historical data on when the treadle loom first appeared. According to historical records, during the Warring States Period, the number of gifts of cloth from princes to princes was a hundred times higher than during the Spring and Autumn Period, as well as physical historical materials such as Han Dynasty elephant stones engraved with pedal looms unearthed in recent years, and they speculated that the emergence of pedal looms may have Dating back to the Warring States Period. By the Qin and Han Dynasties, it had been widely used in the vast areas of the Yellow River Basin and the Yangtze River Basin. The loom's use of foot pedals to lift the heddle opening is a major invention in the history of loom development. It frees the weaver's hands from the action of lifting the heddle and specializes in picking the shuttle and beating up the weft, greatly improving productivity. Taking the production of plain fabrics as an example, it is 20 to 60 times faster than the original loom, and each person can weave 0.3 to 1 meter per hour.

Dyeing of fabrics

The materials used for coloring in ancient China can be divided into mineral pigments and plant dyes, with the latter being the main dye in ancient times. Ancient ancestors have long mastered the properties of various plant dyes, and invented a variety of dyeing techniques and a resist-dye printing technique called "valerian". Various dyes have their own coloring principles. Although mineral pigments and plant dyes are both colorants, their coloring principles are different. Mineral pigments are colored by using adhesives to adhere to the surface of the fabric, but the colors tend to fall off when exposed to water. This is not the case with plant dyes. During dyeing, the pigment molecules change the color of the fiber by binding to the fabric fibers. Even if the color is washed in the sun, it will not fall off easily or rarely.

There are countless mineral and plant dyes commonly used in ancient times. The dyeing processes created by the ancients based on different dye properties include: direct dyeing, mordant dyeing, vat dyeing, resist dyeing, overprint dyeing, etc. The diversity of dye varieties and process methods makes the ancient printing and dyeing industry very rich in color spectrum. Hundreds of them have been recorded in ancient books. In particular, dozens of similar colors can be clearly distinguished in one hue, which requires skillful mastery. This can only be achieved by combining various dye combinations, formulas and changing process conditions.

Main fabrics

Chinese textiles have a long history. Textile products can be classified into four categories: embroidery, silk, clothing and carpets. These four major varieties have different production techniques and unique styles. They are briefly introduced below.

Embroidery

As a handicraft, embroidery is developed on the basis of general sewing. Threading needles and threads to sew clothes is a great progress in human civilization.

Chinese embroidery has a long history. During the Neolithic Age in China, more than 7,000 years ago, the Hemudu people not only used bone needles, but also weaved. Chinese embroidery has generally developed along such a line for thousands of years: it first began with embroidering clothes, then expanded to embroidering daily necessities, and later rose to the level of embroidering ornamental items. Until now, it is still divided into two categories, namely embroidered daily necessities and embroidered calligraphy and painting.

Embroidery is a kind of original art, created for the beauty of one's own life. The embroidery is simple and innocent, showing the inner affection of the embroidery artist.

Silk

Silk is a liquid spit out by silkworms when they spin cocoons. It is made of silk protein and sericin that have solidified in the air. The silk has excellent properties, high toughness and good elasticity. A silkworm can spin silk about 1,000 meters long. Sericulture, silk reeling, silk weaving and embroidery became the main labor of women in ancient China. A small insect has played such a big role in the lives of Chinese people and caused shock all over the world.

When did silk fabrics appear in China? According to archaeological excavation data, silk fabrics in China began in the Liangzhu Culture of the Neolithic Age in the southeastern region, around 2735-2175 BC.

The emergence of the spinning pendant not only changed the textile production in primitive society, but also had a profound impact on the development of spinning tools in later generations. As a simple spinning tool, it has been used for thousands of years. Even in the twentieth century, some nomadic Tibetans in Tibet were still using it to spin yarn.

2. Spinning Wheel

The spinning wheels commonly used in ancient times can be divided into two types: hand-operated spinning wheels and pedal spinning wheels according to their structures. Image data of hand-operated spinning wheels have been found many times in unearthed cultural relics of the Han Dynasty, indicating that hand-operated spinning wheels were very popular as early as the Han Dynasty. The pedal spinning wheel was developed on the basis of the hand spinning wheel. The earliest image data is the Eastern Han Dynasty portrait stone unearthed in Sihong County, Jiangsu Province. The power to drive the spinning wheel comes from the hand. When operating, you need to shake the spinning wheel with one hand and do the spinning work with the other hand. The power of the pedal spinning wheel to drive the spinning wheel comes from the feet. During operation, the spinning woman can use both hands to perform the spinning operation, which greatly improves work efficiency. The spinning wheel has been the most popular spinning machine since its emergence. Even in modern times, some remote areas still use it as the main spinning tool.

3. Water-powered spinning wheel

The number of spindles in ancient spinning wheels was generally 2 to 3, with a maximum of 5. During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, with the development of social economy, a large spinning wheel with dozens of spindles gradually emerged based on various handed down spinning wheel machines. The large spinning wheel is different from the original spinning wheel. Its characteristics are that it has dozens of spindles and is driven by water power. These characteristics make the large spinning wheel the prototype of modern spinning machinery and adapt to large-scale specialized production. Taking hemp spinning as an example, a general spinning wheel can spin up to 3 kilograms of yarn per day, while a large spinning wheel can spin more than a hundred kilograms in a day and night. When spinning, enough flax needs to be used to meet its production capacity. The hydraulic spinning wheel was an important invention in ancient China that applied natural force to textile machinery. In terms of spinning machinery using water power as the driving force, China was more than four centuries earlier than the West.

4. Pedal loom

Pedal loom is a general name for a loom with a foot pedal to lift the heddle and open the device. There is currently a lack of reliable historical data on when the treadle loom first appeared. According to historical records, during the Warring States Period, the number of gifts of cloth from princes to princes was a hundred times higher than during the Spring and Autumn Period, as well as physical historical materials such as Han Dynasty elephant stones engraved with pedal looms unearthed in recent years, and they speculated that the emergence of pedal looms may have Dating back to the Warring States Period. By the Qin and Han Dynasties, it had been widely used in the vast areas of the Yellow River Basin and the Yangtze River Basin.

The loom's use of foot pedals to lift the heddle opening is a major invention in the history of loom development. It frees the weaver's hands from the heddle lifting action to specialize in picking and beating up, greatly improving productivity. Taking the production of plain fabrics as an example, it is 20 to 60 times faster than the original loom, and each person can weave 0.3 to 1 meter per hour.

Dyeing of fabrics

The materials used for coloring in ancient China can be divided into mineral pigments and plant dyes, with the latter being the main dye in ancient times. Ancient ancestors have long mastered the properties of various plant dyes, and invented a variety of dyeing techniques and a resist-dye printing technique called "valerian". Various dyes have their own coloring principles. Although mineral pigments and plant dyes are both colorants, their coloring principles are different. Mineral pigments are colored by using adhesives to adhere to the surface of the fabric, but the colors tend to fall off when exposed to water. This is not the case with plant dyes. During dyeing, the pigment molecules change the color of the fiber by binding to the fabric fibers. Even if the color is washed in the sun, it will not fall off easily or rarely.

There are countless mineral and plant dyes commonly used in ancient times. The dyeing processes created by the ancients based on different dye properties include: direct dyeing, mordant dyeing, vat dyeing, resist dyeing, overprint dyeing, etc. The diversity of dye varieties and process methods makes the ancient printing and dyeing industry very rich in color spectrum. Hundreds of them have been recorded in ancient books. In particular, dozens of similar colors can be clearly distinguished in one hue, which requires skillful mastery. This can only be achieved by combining various dye combinations, formulas and changing process conditions.

Main fabrics

Chinese textiles have a long history. Textile products can be classified into four categories: embroidery, silk, clothing and carpets. These four major varieties have different production techniques and unique styles. They are briefly introduced below.

Embroidery

As a handicraft, embroidery is developed on the basis of general sewing. Threading needles and threads to sew clothes is a great progress in human civilization.

Chinese embroidery has a long history. During the Neolithic Age in China, more than 7,000 years ago, the Hemudu people not only used bone needles, but also weaved. Chinese embroidery has generally developed along such a line for thousands of years: it first began with embroidering clothes, then expanded to embroidering daily necessities, and later rose to the level of embroidering ornamental items. Until now, it is still divided into two categories, namely embroidered daily necessities and embroidered calligraphy and painting.

Embroidery is a kind of original art, created for the beauty of one's own life. The embroidery is simple and innocent, showing the inner affection of the embroidery artist.

Silk

Silk is a liquid spit out by silkworms when they spin cocoons. It is made of silk protein and sericin that have solidified in the air. The silk has excellent properties, high toughness and good elasticity. A silkworm can spin silk about 1,000 meters long. Sericulture, silk reeling, silk weaving and embroidery became the main labor of women in ancient China. A small insect has played such a big role in the lives of Chinese people and caused shock all over the world.

When did silk fabrics appear in China? According to archaeological excavation data, silk fabrics in China began in the Liangzhu Culture of the Neolithic Age in the southeastern region, around 2735-2175 BC. China's Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) and Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD) were two heydays. Silk weaving has also developed unprecedentedly, reaching a peak, and many objects have been handed down. For a long time, China was not only the country that invented silk, but also the only country with this kind of handicraft industry. Due to the export of high-grade silk fabrics, China is known as the "Silk Country" by countries around the world.

What is now called "silk" refers to silk fabrics. Silk has a finer texture, but is not too thin. It can be divided into raw weave, cooked weave, and plain weave (plain weave with simple patterns).

The patterns and patterns of Chinese silk fabrics present a rich and colorful scene from the beginning. Regardless of small flowers, large flowers, single color, color, or geometric natural shapes, they are all suitable for the structure and practical use of silk fabrics, and they also reflect the artistic decoration of the same period. Traditional Chinese craft decorative patterns not only pay attention to the beauty of the form in terms of subject matter and content, but also emphasize the auspicious meaning. Those propositions that ward off evil spirits are also for peace and blessing.

Silk brocade has won the cherishment of all mankind for its gorgeous and noble quality. It is also complicated and diverse with various weaving techniques, coupled with unique artistic craftsmanship, thus creating three thousand years of glory. .

Clothes

Clothes are the unique fruits of human labor. They are not only the crystallization of material civilization, but also have the connotation of spiritual civilization. Almost from the day clothing originated, people have accumulated their living customs, aesthetic tastes, color preferences, and various cultural mentality in clothing, forming the spiritual and civilized connotation of clothing culture.

Chinese clothing, like Chinese culture, is formed by the mutual penetration and influence of various ethnic groups. Since the Han and Tang Dynasties (206 BC - 907 AD), especially after modern times, a large number of outstanding foreign cultural crystallizations of various ethnic groups in the world have been absorbed and melted, and it has evolved into the overall so-called Chinese clothing culture with the Han nationality as the main body.

In the Qing Dynasty (AD 1644--1911), men's clothing was mainly robes and jackets. In the Qing Dynasty, it can be said that Manchu and Han costumes coexisted. Manchu women mainly wear robes, while Han women wear tops and skirts.

The styles and varieties of women's clothing became more and more diverse by the Qing Dynasty, such as vests, skirts, coats, scarves, belts, glasses, etc., emerging in endlessly.

The cheongsam, which became popular in the 1920s, was born out of the Manchu women's clothing in the Qing Dynasty. It was shaped by the continuous improvement of Han women's absorption of Western clothing styles in their wear. From the 1920s to the late 1940s, Chinese cheongsams were popular for more than 20 years. The styles have changed several times. For example, the collar has completely got rid of the old-fashioned style, allowing the female body and curves to be fully displayed, which was in line with the fashion of the time. Later, the cheongsam was spread abroad and was imitated by women from other countries.

Carpets

China began to produce carpets between the 10th year of Xianfeng and the 10th year of Tongzhi (1860-1871). Carpet pattern designs appeared around the last few years of the 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, Chinese carpets gradually matured in pattern design, coloring, and craftsmanship, and by the 1920s, unique Chinese carpets were formed.

The standard format of Chinese carpets:

The basic organization of carpet patterns is mainly reflected in the layout of the inner pattern, with the round Kui pattern as the main occupancy in the center of the carpet, and the four corners are composed of equal parts. The edge of the carpet is decorated with triangular horns, the outside of the carpet is surrounded by small and large edges, and the edge of the carpet is a narrow and undecorated convolution.

Carpets from the Qing Dynasty (AD 1644--1911). They are mainly used for court etiquette, the lives of emperors and empresses, and the families of officials in Beijing. A few are used for folk festive activities.

Chinese carpet patterns and decorations are famous for their grandeur, solemnity, elegant colors but not kitsch. After 1920, Chinese carpets produced colorful branch patterns, art patterns and other patterns.