In Chinese legend, Lei Zu, the royal concubine of the Yellow Emperor, was the first one to raise silkworms and make silk. The ancient Chinese emperors all worshipped her as the silkworm goddess. Archaeological data shows that the Chinese started using silk from silkworm even earlier than the days of Leizu. In the Warring States Period, Xun Zi (circa. 313- 238 B.C.) already wrote Praise to the Silkworm, which told the story of the "horse-head girl." One day a girl's father was abducted by his neighbor, and only his horse remained. The girl's mother promised that whoever took the father back home would get to marry the young girl. Hearing this promise, the girl ran away, and returned with the man of the household. The mother, however, forgot about her promise. The sad horse refused to eat, crying all day. Finding out about the cause of all this, the angry father killed the horse and left the skin under the sun. One day the girl was walking by. The horse skin wrapped her up and brought her up the mulberry tree. They turned into a silkworm, and ever since that day the girl had been worshipped as the silkworm goddess. The influence of the silkworm goddess went as far as Southeast Asia and Japan, where the "horse-head girl" is still worshipped until the present day.

    In addition to anecdotes and fairy tales, there are even more accurate proof on the early use of silk. In 1958 at the Liangzhu historical site located in now what is Yuhang of Zhejiang Province, some silk textiles were excavated made 4,700 years ago, including silk threads, silk ribbons, silk strings, and pieces of silk, all held in the basket. These were made from silk of home raised silkworm according to expert opinion. Although these historical relics have been carbonized, the warps and wefts were still quite clear. The silk ribbons were made from 16 strands of thick and thin silk threads, 5 millimeter in width. The threads were 3 mm in cast width, and made with three strands of silk, a clear sign that the silk textile of that time had reached some degree of sophistication.

    As early as 3000 years ago, the Shang Dynasty bone and tortoise shell inscriptions already had characters meaning silkworm, mulberry tree, silk, and gauze. It is apparent that silk was already playing an important role in the production of that time. In the Yin Ruins of Anyang, Henan Province, the bronze vessels and weapons at the same time of the bone and tortoise shell inscriptions all had textures of textiles, indicating that by Shang Dynasty there was already multi- color brocade with complicated patterns. In 1959, the Meiyan Site of Wujiang, Jiangsu Province unearthed some black pottery with patterns of silkworm, realistically rendered in great familiarity. In Shangshu (Book of Historical Records), a Confucian classic that recorded important information on the language, writing, literature, philosophy,aesthetics, mythology and social life of ancient China, there were clear record of silk as articles of tribute, in all colors and forms.

    In the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States Periods, agricultural development reached a new height. One important feature of the economy at that time was the division of labor between men and women, who were engaged separately in farming and weaving. Planting of mulberry trees and weaving of textiles were typical scenes of economic activity of that time. Technology of silk reeling was already very developed, as the silk threads spun from this silk were as even and refined as in the modem day. By Han Dynasty, the art of spinning and weaving moved further forward. Brocade excavated from the western Han Dynasty Tomb of Mawangdui in Changsha of Hunan Province in 1972 had yams made from 4 or 5 strands of thread, and each thread was spun from 14 or 15 pieces of fibers. That is to say that each yam is made up of 54 pieces of fiber. High development in spinning pushed further forward the art of dyeing and embroidery, giving the finished product added beauty and vivid expression.

    In the profound cultural heritage, the unique beauty of silk has become a symbol of eastern aesthetics. It is can be said that because of silk, Chinese garments had the graceful flow, and the figures in classic Chinese paintings had the graceful style we now so admire.

    Judging from the evolution of the bronze culture, cultural exchange between China and countries in central and western Asia started in as early as 2000 B.C. In the long journey of history, it was the communication and exchange among different peoples and regions that brought about the splendid variety of the garments. And one cannot talk about cultural exchange without mention of the Silk Road, and the irreplaceable role it played.

    From the 5th Century B.C., Chinese textiles started to travel to the west. The exquisite beauty of silk was hailed as something from heaven. Greeks and the Romans called the China "Serica," and the Chinese people were called "Seris," both of which originated from the word "Serge" or silk. According to a western historical book, Caesar (100-44 B.C.) wore a silk robe to watch a play, and all audiences shifted their attention from the play to the silk robe. Chinese silk was introduced to India in very early days, because historical books had very early record of "reams of silk from China." As early as in the 2nd Century A.D., there was already law in India prohibiting the stealing of silk.

    In 138 B.C. and 119 B.C., Emperor Wu of Han twice sent his envoy Zhang Qian to travel to the Western Regions, taking along a large quantity of silk, porcelain and other products from central China. Along this road, they used silk textiles as gifts or articles in exchange for food. At the meantime, these countries along the road gave woolen fabrics and spices to China in return. Ever since then, Chinese silk began to be regularly transported along this route to many parts of the world. From Han to Tang Dynasties, ceaseless camel bells marked the prosperity of the "Silk Road."    In as early as the age of the Roman Empires, silk was brought into the Roman market through Persia, leading to a great trade surplus. In the 3rd Century A.D., silk in Rome was once as valuable as gold, so expensive that Emperor Iulianus no lonRer wore silk, and prohibited his wife from wearing silk. In fho al Century, the improved economic condition brought about a renewed trend of wearing; silk in Constantinople, spread all the wav down to the lower classes.

    When the Byzantine emperor Justinian was in reign, the art of raising silkworms was introduced into the country. By the mid of the 6'h Century A.D., the entire process of silk making, from the production of raw material to the weaving of finished product, finally took root in East Roman Empire.

    What we usually call the Silk Road started from Chang'an (today's Xi'an), then capital of the Western Han, and extended all the way to the Baltic Sea. As one end of the road extended towards the west, the other end extended to Japan. In 107 A.D., the Japanese emperor sent a delegation of 160 people to China, learning the art of embroidery, sewing, and the weaving of brocade. After the delegation returned to Japan, the members reported to the Emperor on what they had seen, and presented the silk and brocade they had brought back. In over 100 years since that time, many artisans from Japan were sent to China to learn specific crafts, while China sent its weavers to Japan, bringing about significant progress in ancient Japan in the art of silk. In 457 A.D., Emperor Yuryaku Tenno was extremely enthusiastic about the craft of textile and embroidery, so he ordered his royal concubines to raise silkworm so that he could realize his dream of Japan as the "kingdom of garments." At his deathbed, he expressed his sorrow in not seeing enough beautiful garments in the field. In the 7t" and 8'h centuries, the ceremonial gown of the Japanese emperor had patterns of the sun, the moon, the star, the mountain, the dragon, the pheasant and the fire embroidered over red silk, quite similar to what was being worn by Chinese emperors.

    In Lectures on the Art of Clothing published in Japan, garments in the Japanese Asuka Times (552-645), Nara Times (673-794) and the early Heian Times (794-1192) were called the age of Sui and Tang imitations. Japanese clothing in this period were strongly influenced by the Tang garments, and "professional decorative patterns" adopted and modified from Chinese patterns, including the crane, the ocean waves, the turtle shell, the phoenix and the Kirin, were used specifically for the rank of government officials during the Heian Period. When Japan sent Kenntoushi to China, they also brought their own silver, silk, cotton and fabrics to trade with the Chinese, thus promoting the exchange of garment culture between the two countries.

    Now that we have mentioned the Silk Road, we should not ignore the Silk Road over the sea. The so-called Silk Road over the sea refers to the trade between China and the coastal and island cities of Southeast Asia and Africa over sea route. It appeared in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and came into full bloom in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. The Roman Empire at that time offered ivory,rhinoceros horns and hawksbill turtle shell to the Eastern Han court, Other countries including Persia (now Iran), India, Sri Lanka and Cambodia brought their pearls, feathers, rhinoceros horns, ivory, spices, hawksbill turtle shells, glass, and cotton into China, while accepting various kinds of Chinese silk fabrics. Through the Tang and Song Dynasties, the Silk Road over the sea reached its peak in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. The golden brocade and silk fabrics made in Naning, Hangzhou and Suzhou, as well as all kinds of gauze, satin and brocade were sold to Korea, Japan, the Philippines, India, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Somalia, and Tanzania. From the second half of the 16th century, the Spaniards occupied the Philippines, and started massive buying of silk from China. A number of sea routes from Manila to various ports in the United States were opened to transport silk from China to America.

    The Silk Road across the continent of Eurasia, the Silk Road over the sea, and the Silk Road that connected Southwestern China with the surrounding countries brought the soft and lustrous silk of China to countries in Central Asia, West Asia, South Asia and Europe, along with the technology of silkworm raising, reeling, silk reeling, and weaving of brocade. This was a historical event that gave Chinese garment its great impact on the rest of the world. At the meantime, garments, crafts and styles of other countries had their own profound influence on Chinese garments.

    The large-scale economic activities and population flow between China and Central/West Asia made their marks of cultural hybrid in the decorative patterns and styles of garments. In the Han Dynasty textile found in Noyinwula of Inner Mongolia, the winged animals are obviously influenced by the winged animal images of West Asia. In the batik textile unearthed in the Eastern Han Dynasty tomb in Xinjiang, there are typical images of the Gandhara Buddha with deep-set eyes and high-bridged nose, coexisting with dragon patterns typical of central China. The remaining mid section part shows the hind legs and tail of the lion, an animal that came to be known to the Chinese through nothing else but the Silk Road. In addition, on the Eastern Han silk and wool textiles unearthed in the Niya Ruins of Xinjiang, we can see plant and grape vine patterns of the west region, the centaur of Greek mythology, and soldiers of central China, existing together as proof of garment art exchange.

    The honeysuckle pattern that first became popular in ancient Greece and Rome became popular in Chinese craft along with the entry of Buddhism into China. The symmetrical, balanced and flexible twigs are formed into rippled, circular, square, heart or turtle shell shapes, become intertwining vines for doves and peacocks to rest, or turn into free-style patterns together with the lotus. In some cases, animals and shapes are adapted from Persian art but used to form an auspicious word, a common decorative style in decorative art of China.

    Cultural exchange as shown in garment style was most prominent in the most prosperous period of the Tang Dynasty. Merchants from Western Asia and Eastern Europe and from ethnic minority areas of northwestern China brought with them son~; and dance, musical instruments, acrobat and the novel lifestyle into Central China through the Silk Road. In the legends about the Xuanzong Emperor, reigning (712-755) of Tang Dynasty and hi,, royal concubine Lady Yang (719-756), a dance of feather cloak in rainbow colors L, often mentioned. The feather cloak of the dancer is an integration of ancient India style and traditional Chinese dancewear. Other foreign dances came into central China in the same period, bringing with them dancewear or daily wear of those areas, especially from the western regions.

     In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, women came to accept the veil - a large piece ot cloth that covers from head to toe. The veil was originally from the northwestern ethnic minority people, used to shield against the dust. When it came to the central regions, the veil became a novel fashion. In the early Tang Dynasty, women had a net-like screen hanging from the brim of the hat, and wore the traditional jacket, skirt and brocade shoes. About a hundred years later, women adopted an entire set of the hufu or "alien" costumes from India, Persia and other countries, wearing pointed hat with embroidery, and a close-fitting robe with a turnover collar and tight cuffs, a round collar silk blouse inside, a pair of trousers with narrow leg bottoms and a leather belt, and a pair of high leather boots. The hat, the turnover collar and the leather belt are all distinctive ethnic cloths. By the middle of the Tan~ Dynasty, the piled-up hair buns and coils and the terracotta rouge were very popular among women. The hairstyle came from western Asia, while the terracotta rough came from Tibet.

    The birth and gradual improvement of silk making led to the birth of embroidery, which, as a regional handcraft, adopted distinct regional and ethnic character. In the Spring and Autumn Period, the art of embroidery was already quite mature, as proven in a large quantity of historical relics unearthed in the past hundred years or so. Themes of embroidery in this period include exaggerated figures of dragon, phoenix and tiger, interspersed with flowers, foliage or geometrical shapes. There is often a great sense of rhythm brought out by the vivid animal figures, the decorative patterns, and the richness and harmony of colors.

    Entering the Qin and Han Dynasties, embroidery reached a new height. What deserves special mention is the workshop set up in Linzi, capital of the Qi Kingdom, dedicated exclusively to the making of official court uniforms. Thousands of weavers were hired, and no cost was spared. Not only the royal family had the whole house dress in brocade and their horses and dogs clad in woolen dress, but all the rich wore what was called the "five colored brocade" and decorated their furniture with silks and embroideries. By the end of the late Han Dynasty,, Buddhism became increasingly popular in China. Embroidery of Buddha's portrait remained popular all the way through the Tang Dynasty. This kind of embroidered Buddha can still be seen in museums in England and in Japan, acclaimed for the fine craftsmanship and dazzling colors. Another great achievement of the Tang embroidery art is the invention of a new stitch - the satin stitch, which is popular until the present day. This new stitch brought more freedom to the artist, and brought about a new era of embroidery.

    The Song Dynasty marks the peak of Chinese embroidery, both in terms of quality and quantity. The refinement of embroidery in the Tang and Song Dynasties was determined by the social environment of that time. In a time of clear division of labor between men and women with men ploughing and women weaving, all women were required to learn needlecraft. Embroidery was a basic skill, a prerequisite for a woman to be accepted by society, and at the same time an eleganl pastime, hobby from which women of leisure cultivated their artistic taste and creativity. The function of embroidery can be classified into daily necessities and art pieces intended strictly for artistic appreciation. Even the intelligentsia participated in the creative process of fine embroidery, which often borrowed ideas from painters before it was completed by artisans.

    The revival of folk handicraft in the Ming Dynasty injected new vitality into the technique and production of embroidery. Individuals and households talented in embroidery became famous for their crafts, and both the demand and usage of embroidery increased. Practical embroidery pieces became better in quality, finer in material, and more skilled in techniques. In the Ming and later Qing Dynasties, embroidery reached its peak in popularity. In the two hundred plus years of the Qing Dynasty, local schools of embroidery appeared like bamboo shoots after the rain, the most famous being Suzhou, Guangdong, Sichuan. Hunan. Beijing, and Shandong schools. In addition to their local flavors, these schools all borrowed from other ethnic cultures.

    Today, fashion comes and goes, and machines have replaced the human hand in many ways. Fortunately, the art and craft of embroidery have been preserved as China's great cultural heritage. Besides the local embroidery schools, many ethnic minority people have their own beautiful embroidery, such as the Uygur, the Yi, the Dai, the Bouyi, the Kazak, the Yao, the Miao, the Tujia, the Jingpo, the Dong, the Bai, the Zhuang, the Mongolian, and the Tibetan people. Embroidery is not only found in garments and home furnishings, but also exists on their own as a unique art form that has incorporated the character of Chinese painting and calligraphy.