Lujin enchants international journalists, influencers in Shandong

Shanghai-based American vlogger Lile Song Mahoney learns to turn cotton into yarn on the spinning wheel at the Museum of Lu Brocade located in Jiaxiang county of Jining city in East China's Shandong province on June 4, 2024. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

According to Hao, lujin became a daily necessity for commoners with the introduction of herbaceous cotton into the Central Plains of China since after the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220).

One of the five most famous brocades in China (the others are yunjin from Nanjing in Jiangsu province, shujin from Sichuan province, songjin from Suzhou in Jiangsu province and zhuangjin from the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region), lujin is the only brocade made of cotton while the others of silk.

Shanghai-based American vlogger Lile Song Mahoney learns to make health-preserving hammer containing medicinal herbs at the Museum of Lu Brocade located in Jiaxiang county of Jining city in East China’s Shandong province on June 4, 2024. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A total of 72 processes are involved in making lujin and ancient artisans could weave more than 1900 different patterns with 22 basic colors. Auspicious motifs from daily life, and ancient totems are used as lujin patterns, Hao introduced.

Hao's museum also offers hands-on courses on techniques associated with lujin-weaving and hanfu-making, which are popular among students and people enthusiastic about traditional Chinese cultural heritage, said the inheritor.