Textile, printing and dyeing technology in ancient China has a very long history. As early as the primitive society period, in order to adapt to climate changes, the ancients already knew how to use local materials, use natural resources as raw materials for textile and printing and dyeing, and make simple textile tools. To this day, our daily clothes, some daily necessities and works of art are all products of textile and printing and dyeing technology.
Chinese machine-based textiles originated from spinning wheels and waist looms in the Neolithic period five thousand years ago. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, simple mechanical reels, spinning wheels, and looms with traditional functions appeared one after another. Jacquard looms and twill looms were widely used in the Han Dynasty. After the Tang Dynasty, Chinese textile machinery became increasingly perfect, which greatly promoted the development of the textile industry.
Diversification of textile raw materials
The development of textile processes and equipment in ancient and modern times has been designed in response to textile raw materials. Therefore, raw materials play an important role in textile technology. The fibers used for textiles in various countries in the ancient world were all natural fibers, generally three types of short fibers: wool, linen, and cotton. For example, the fibers used for textiles in the Mediterranean region were only wool and flax; in the Indian peninsula, cotton was used before. In addition to using these three fibers, ancient China also made extensive use of long fiber-silk.
Silk is the finest, longest and finest textile fiber among all natural fibers and can be used to weave various complex patterned jacquard fabrics. The extensive utilization of silk fiber has greatly promoted the progress of ancient Chinese textile technology and textile machinery, making silk weaving production technology the most distinctive and representative textile technology in ancient China.
