As another contribution to Asian American and Pacific Islander Month from our collection I thought of these beautiful clothing articles from China.
~ BHS Docent, Cobb House Museum
Chinese embroidery has a long history since the Neolithic age. Because of the quality of silk fiber, most Chinese fine embroideries are made in silk. Some ancient vestiges of silk production have been found in various Neolithic sites dating back 5,000–6,000 years in China. After the opening of Silk Route in the Han dynasty, the silk production and trade flourished. In the 14th century, the Chinese silk embroidery production reached its high peak. Several major silk embroidery styles had been developed, like Song Jin (宋锦 Song embroidery) in Suzhou, Yun Jin (云锦 Cloud embroidery) in Nanjing and Shu Jin (蜀锦 Shu embroidery) in Sichuan.
In China, collars where made separately from the robe or garment. As such, the so-called cloud collars were used much like a necklace, allowing a single collar to be worn over various robes.
Traditional motifs include figures, lotus, peonies and other blossoms, butterflies and birds.
