The Nanjing Brocade Museum reopened to the public for free on Apr 19 after being closed for four months.
The most precious treasure of the Museum — the replica of Garment of Plain Silk Gauze, is displayed in the exhibition. Compared with colorful brocades, this transparent garment is as thin as a cicada’s wing under the lamplight, and has an ethereal, plain and neat beauty.
In 1972, two Garments of Plain Silk Gauze was unearthed in Mawangdui Han Dynasty Tomb of Changsha City, Hunan Province. The whole weight of this thin and transparent garment is only 49g.
According to Wang Baolin, director of Nanjing Brocade Research Institute, the garment can show a kind of hazy beauty as the inside brocade clothes and gold and silver jewelry are partly hidden and visible.
It has taken 13 years to replicate this garment since the corporation of Nanjing Brocade Research Institute and Zhenjiang Silkworm Institute in 1980s.
“It is the first time to display this garment as it is very delicate and needs to be kept under the cold light and resist insects and moisture,” Wang said.
The museum also displayed a lot of precious exhibits that have never been shown before. The audience can also appreciate the weaving of brocade by professionals within a close distance.
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