Song brocade

Suzhou's Song brocade, with its flashy colors, exquisite patterns, strong and soft texture, is one of China's three famous brocades, together with Nanjing Yun brocade and Sichuan Shu brocade.

Suzhou’s brocade production can be traced back to the Five Dynasties. It prospered in the Song Dynasty. After Emperor Songgaozong moved the capital southward, the country’s political and cultural center moved to the Yangtze River area. To cope with the special need of artists, a type of very thin brocade for decorating paintings emerged in Suzhou. These amazing brocades and paintings have been preserved. Whenever people talked about brocade, they mentioned the Song Dynasty, and thus Song brocade got its name and has been well-known ever since.

Before the People’s Republic of China was founded, Suzhou’s Song brocade was on the verge of collapse, with only 12 looms left. After 1949, the production gradually recovered. In 1959, a Song Brocade Plant was founded, and ancient Babaodai, Cailingjin, Caihuadai and other decorations and copies of ancient brocades were discovered in Huqiuta. Electric looms replaced manual ones. Since then, Suzhou brocade has realized automatic production and production has surged.

The Song brocade designed and produced by Suzhou Brocade Plant is famous for its delicate texture, unique style, elegance, beauty and usefulness and is sold in and outside China. Beijing Rongdingzhai, Shanghai Duoyunxuan as well as arts associations and museums across China are regular customers of the plant. Customers from Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe and the U.S. also order brocade products from the plant because of its reputation. Suzhou’s Song brocade, a cultural heritage of China, is booming again.

Recommended place: Suzhou Brocade Museum brocade section

Address: No 661, Renmin Road, Suzhou

Tel: 0512-67276538