Bamboo (Square) Song Brocade Ear Stud

Song brocade, with its unique patterns of delicate and elegant colors, was deeply loved by ancient royal families. It is said that Emperor Gaozong of Song vigorously promoted Song brocade to meet the needs of palace costumes and calligraphy and painting framing, and specifically established the Song Brocade Weaving Office in Suzhou. Some classic patterns have been passed down for a hundred years and have been transformed with modern aesthetics.

"Behind the Beauty: The Intricate Five-Step Song Brocade Crafting Process"
From silk reeling to jacquard weaving, this visual guide reveals the meticulous, multi-step process behind each piece of Song brocade. Using heritage techniques passed down for over 1,500 years, artisans transform raw silk and natural dyes into luxurious fabrics that honor both tradition and artistry.

In 1998, when Suzhou’s last silk factory collapsed, master artisan Ping salvaged a fragment of Song-dynasty star-patterned brocade from the debris. Later, she combined it with a lattice-patterned scrap discovered in an antique shop. These remnants belonged to Song Brocade—once hailed as the "Crown of Silk" among China’s three legendary brocades (alongside Nanjing Yun Brocade and Sichuan Shu Brocade). Yet, by then, its intricate weaving techniques had vanished, leaving only scattered relics. To revive this lost art, Ping dismantled remnants of Qing-dynasty looms, uncovering an inscription marking their repair during Emperor Qianlong’s reign. Using an abacus to calculate the dual warp beams and 40-jacquard mechanism, she spent six months weaving a mere handkerchief-sized cloth. Undeterred, she decoded the fabric’s 78 golden threads and 142 colored silk strands, unraveling its weaving codes. Her perseverance resurrected a craft once thought extinct. Nowadays, whether it is a meeting of national leaders or a stage for important celebrations, the presence of Song Jin is always indispensable. But unlike in the past, with countless "Ping" efforts, the exclusive fabric that used to only serve the nobles of the palace has now entered the lives of each and every one of us.