Silk Road

Silk is undoubtedly the driving force behind the prosperity of the Silk Road, and Dunhuang is the richest and most concentrated Silk Road town in terms of unearthed silk objects. For historical reasons, these surviving "treasures" scattered around the world have not been systematically organized and studied. Zhao Feng (赵丰), professor at Donghua University and director of the China Silk Museum, led a team of Dunhuang silk researchers in collaboration with experts and scholars from cultural and museum institutions around the world. It took 15 years to systematically organize and study the Dunhuang silk relics scattered around the world, resulting in TEXTILES FROM DUNHUANG (敦煌丝绸艺术全集), a magnum opus. The complete collection was launched at the "Silk Road and Silk Art" forum at Donghua University on October 15, 2021, includes IN UK COLLECTIONS, IN FRENCH COLLECTIONS, IN RUSSIAN COLLECTIONS, IN THE LUSHUN MUSEUM, IN THE DUNHUANG ACADEMY, with millions of words and more than a thousand pictures. The release of "TEXTILES FROM DUNHUANG" fills a gap in the study of silk in Dunhuang, providing important support for research on the Silk Road and the history of textile and costume art. The vast amount of first-ever physical remains plus documentary comparative studies…

At the end of 2022, a documentary with only four episodes went online, "Dunhuang and Venice: Above Desert and Sea". Perhaps Marco Polo's visit to China is the only positive encounter between Dunhuang (敦煌) and Venice in history. They reunited with a new look in this documentary. From east to west, from sand to sea, the Silk Road conveys the most wonderful exchange of materials, culture and people.   East Meets West In 1271, Marco Polo set out from Venice for a long journey and crossed 6,400 kilometers of sand and sea. In his travelogue, he noted down a place called sandbank, which was Dunhuang. In the long river of history, the two seemingly completely irrelevant cities have more connections because of the Silk Road. For example, the cotton weaving of Persia appeared in Dunhuang Tang Dynasty documents and also appeared beside the governor of Venice. The pattern of lotus appeared in the Mogao Grottoes and also in the gorgeous clothes of the Madonna. Lapis lazuli from Afghanistan is not only the profoundest sky in Dunhuang frescoes but also the purest blue in Titian's works. Many traders may not travel the entire length of the Silk Road, but one short…

The 2024 "Silk Road Week" grandly opened at the China National Silk Museum! The highlight of this event is the grand exhibition "The Silk Road's Chang'an," officially launched with over 210 artifacts on display, including more than 50 first-class relics. The exhibition is divided into five sections, showcasing a vibrant, diverse, open, and integrated Chang'an through aspects such as politics, economy, culture, lifestyle, and its long-standing connections with Zhejiang. Chang'an, the ancient name for Xi'an, located in the central Guanzhong Plain, is one of the cradles of Chinese civilization. Historically, over ten dynasties, including the Western Han, Xin, Eastern Han, Western Jin, Former Zhao, Former Qin, Later Qin, Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, and Tang, established their capitals here over a span of more than a thousand years. It is the city with the longest history, most dynasties, greatest influence, and richest heritage in Chinese history. During the Han and Tang dynasties, Chang'an was the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, a crucial node connecting the Eurasian continent. With its thriving economy, splendid culture, and inclusive nature, it became an undeniable global metropolis and a center of cultural exchange between China and the world. This year marks the 10th…

Chinese silk dress has a history of thousands of years in China. Wearing a silk dress has become a symbol of wealth and status. Silk is a special product of China. The ancient Chinese working people invented and produced silk products on a large scale, which opened the first large-scale trade exchange between the East and the West in world history, known as the silk road. History of Silk In ancient times, silk was a kind of textile woven by silk. Due to the expansion of textile materials in modern times, all textiles woven with man-made or natural filament fibers can be called generalized silk. The silk made of pure silk is also called "real silk". Since the Western Han Dynasty, China's silk has been shipped abroad in large quantities, becoming a world-famous product. At that time, the road from China to the West was called the "Silk Road" by Europe, and China was also called the "Silk Country". In ancient times, China began to raise silkworms for silk. In 1925, an antique was unearthed in Shanxi Province. According to the research of archaeologists, is the cocoon shell, it is about 1.36cm long and 1.04cm wide, which provides the earliest…