Delicate, shining and soft to the touch, silk has threaded its way throughout China's history. One can't be certain of its origin, but ancient Chinese credited their own wisdom Leizu, wife of the Yellow Emperor as the inventor.
China's silk is (impressive) diverse in style and texture. Hangluo satin (珞缎) from Hangzhou, Zhejiang, is renowned for its airy substance while Yunjin brocade from Nanjing, Jiangsu, a luxurious fabric often used for royal families, (represent) China's silk weaving technique at its prime. Yunjin brocade (make) by hand in a complex procedure comprises so many steps that even the most skilled artists can only weave a few centimeters a day. Time, patience and experience all play key roles in its heavenly beauty, or its name suggests, its cloud-like splendor.
In Han Dynasty with diplomat Zhang Qian opening up the routes to the western regions, silk graced countries in Central Asia, later (extend) its reach to other parts of Eurasia and beyond. Fittingly, its name marked China's major international trade routes, ancient Silk Road and Maritime Silk Road.
In the hands of Chinese artists, the (thin) threads can weave pictures of great (possibility) and the softest material can pass down thousands of years. As one of the many marvels of ancient China, silk is not merely a type of textile a cultural icon and an embodiment of elegance and grace.
