Nanjing Jiangnan Silk Cultural Museum donated a replica of the legendary Jinling brocade, named after the old name of Nanjing, to the Nanjing Municipal Archives on October 13 while releasing a new book on the history of the city’s Yunjin brocade and silk weaving.

Jinling brocade was the signature produce by Zhong Xing Yuan Silk Factory in the mid-1980s. The original design of this coveted brocade is a treasured collection at the Nanjing Municipal Archives.

It took nearly five months to make a replica of Jinling brocade, which featured large peony flowers, lotus flowers and auspicious emblazonry of Xizang autonomous region, according to Hu Changlin, the original designer.

Published by Nanjing Publishing House, the new book is a joint effort by Nanjing Municipal Archives, the Museum and Zhengyuanxing Silk House. It’s the most complete oral history collection to fully show the development of Yunjin brocade and silk weaving.

In 2008, the Nanjing Municipal Archives took over nearly 3,000 volumes of records of the factory, which had a history of over 100 years. From July 2019 to July 2020, efforts were then made to collect oral history of the factory, take photos and make videos of the elderly brocade craftsmen and former employees of the factory.