With the world today mourning the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, what of Nanjing’s links to royalty? One thing stands out above all else. To some a humble piece of cloth, brocade, an icon of our city, was once only to be worn by a member of the monarchy.
当今世界都在哀悼英国女王伊丽莎白二世的去世，那么南京与皇室的联系又如何呢？有一点是最突出的。对某些人来说，锦缎是我们城市的象征，是一块不起眼的布料，曾经只能由君主制成员穿着。
Anyone versed in the art of weaving will know that Nanjing and Brocade go hand in hand. Its inclusion on the Intangible World Cultural Heritage of Humanity list by UNESCO in 2009, officially secured Nanjing’s status as the world’s home of brocade. Nanjing Cloud Brocade (Yunjin), emerged during the Wu Kingdom, in the third century CE; consequently it has a history of over almost 1,600 years.
懂编织艺术的人都知道，南京与锦是相辅相成的。 2009年，南京织锦被联合国教科文组织列入人类非物质世界文化遗产名录，正式确立了南京世界织锦之乡的地位。南京云锦（云锦）出现于公元三世纪的吴国时期；因此它已有近1600多年的历史。
At the height of its popularity, during the middle of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), brocade had become more renowned than any other silk product in China, at the time keeping 300,000 people in employment. The weaving technique was used to produce some of the most famous royal attire, such as dragon robes worn by Chinese emperors. The value of Nanjing’s brocade was immense, with one inch of the noble fabric said to be worth an ounce of gold, making it an exclusive product affordable by only the richest of the rich.
清朝中期（1644-1911），锦缎在其流行的鼎盛时期，比中国任何其他丝绸产品都更出名，当时为 30 万人提供了就业机会。这种编织技术被用来生产一些最著名的皇家服装，例如中国皇帝穿的龙袍。南京锦缎的价值极高，据称一寸贵重布料可抵一两黄金，是富贵人家才能享用的珍品。
Nanjing’s brocade history was formally established around 417 CE, when Nanjing, then known as Jiankang, experienced an influx of craftsmen, especially brocade weavers from Xi’an, after the local authority, the future Qin Kingdom, was defeated by the Eastern Qin Dynasty. This presence of highly-talented brocade craftsmen who had picked up an impressive skill set from Chinese minorities and possessed national fame led to the formation of a special brocade office and hence the establishment of Nanjing as the city of brocade.
南京的织锦历史正式确立于公元417年左右，当时的南京（当时称为建康）在当地政权（未来的秦国）被东秦击败后，大量工匠，特别是来自西安的织锦工涌入南京。这些才华横溢的织锦工匠从中国少数民族中汲取了令人印象深刻的技能，并享有全国声誉，导致了专门的织锦办公室的成立，从而使南京成为织锦之都。
During the Yuan Dynasty (1279–1368), Nanjing’s brocade skills received a luxurious makeover, when the Mongolian rulers of the foreign dynasty brought with them the tradition of decorating officers’ dress with gold and silver. Soon the gold-specked fabrics of Nanjing became popular with aristocrats and minorities alike, resulting in the formation of Nanjing’s monopoly on brocade production. Nanjing brocade was even listed as one of the special royal tributes.
元代（1279-1368），南京的织锦技艺得到了华丽的改造，外朝的蒙古统治者带来了用金银装饰军官服饰的传统。很快，南京的金花织品就受到了贵族和少数民族的青睐，形成了南京对织锦生产的垄断。南京锦甚至被列为皇家专用贡品之一。
In practical terms, the weaving process requires two craftspeople to operate the upper and lower parts of a complex loom up to 4 metres high to produce textiles. The person sitting at the loom is called a “thread puller”. Their responsibility was to pull the thread in line in the threading sequence, corresponding to commands entered into a computer keyboard of today. The second person would sit on the lower part of the loom. They were known “weaver”. Different songs help them remember different weaving techniques, too complex to simply be memorised without musical help. Therefore you could often hear singing coming from production sites of Nanjing brocade.
实际上，编织过程需要两名工匠操作高达 4 米的复杂织机的上下部分来生产纺织品。坐在织布机前的人被称为“拉线工”。他们的职责是将线拉成线顺序，对应于当今计算机键盘上输入的命令。第二个人坐在织布机的下部。他们被称为“织布工”。不同的歌曲帮助他们记住不同的编织技术，这些技术太复杂，没有音乐的帮助就无法简单地记住。因此，南京织锦生产现场经常能听到歌声。
Fine materials would be incorporated into the weave, besides gold common additions were silk or peacock feather yarn. However, it is not only the exclusive material that makes Nanjing brocade a hyper-luxury item. Within the course of one working day, only 2cm can be woven, adding additional cost in production time to the price of the fabric itself, thereby making it the most expensive type of silk production in China.
编织中会采用优质材料，除了黄金之外，常见的添加物还有丝绸或孔雀羽毛纱。然而，南京锦之所以成为超级奢侈品，不仅仅是因为其独特的材质。一个工作日内只能织出2厘米的丝，这在面料本身的价格上增加了额外的生产时间成本，从而使其成为中国最昂贵的丝绸生产类型。
In the 21st century, the popularity of Nanjing Yunjin remains alive and well, ensuring the preservation of the old technique. These days it is often used to produce high-end clothing and souvenirs. Being a brocade weaver in the new millennium however, is not just a matter of creating luxuries, it is a job of historical importance. Nanjing’s modern weavers replicate ancient silk fabrics for researchers and museums, with the backing of the government who have invested up to ¥10 million on the protection and repair of Yunjin.
进入21世纪，南京云锦依然盛行，保证了老技艺的保存。如今，它经常被用来生产高档服装和纪念品。然而，作为新千年的织锦工，不仅仅是创造奢侈品的问题，更是一项具有历史意义的工作。在政府的支持下，南京的现代织工为研究人员和博物馆复制古代丝绸织物，政府已投资 1000 万元人民币用于云锦的保护和修复。
An example of such historic revival work is the “cloned” dragon robe from the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). The original was excavated from the Dingling Mausoleum in the Thirteen Ming Tombs but was destroyed as soon as it was exposed to air. With the help of traditional weavers and after three years of hard work, the historical robe was successfully reconstructed in 2009. It is only one of many dragon robes reconstructed by weavers, which can be admired in the Nanjing Cloud Brocade Museum.
此类历史复兴作品的一个例子是明朝（1368-1644）的“克隆”龙袍。原件是从十三陵定陵出土的，但一暴露就被毁掉了。在传统织工的帮助下，经过三年的努力，这件历史龙袍于2009年成功重建。这只是织工重建的众多龙袍之一，可以在南京云锦博物馆欣赏到。
Therein lies the importance of modern brocade weavers; they are not only preserving an important cultural technique of the past, but also actively reproducing history for generations to come.
现代织锦工的重要性就在于此。他们不仅保存了过去重要的文化技艺，而且还积极为子孙后代再现历史。
Today, as we remember Queen Elizabeth II, the significance in the remembering of generations-long history is forefront in the minds of many. Nanjing Cloud Brocade’s place in the overall royal scheme of things just got a whole lot stronger.
今天，当我们纪念伊丽莎白二世女王时，铭记几代人的历史的重要性在许多人的脑海中占据着最重要的位置。南京云锦在整个皇家计划中的地位变得更加强大。
