Study On Technology Crafts Of LU Silk And Social Culture

Recently, the far-sighted Party Central Committee set forth a long-term strategy for building "cultural superpower". The thesis inquires traditional culture and regional culture from the aspect of technology. Lu silk is a kind of local silk made in southeast of Shanxi province. As the royal tribute in Ming and Qing Dynasties and major commercial commodity supporting Shanxi businessmen’s development, Lu silk not only represents the fine silk weaving workmanship, but also combines national royal culture and regional folk culture, replaces textile technology and social culture in Shanxi province and along the Yellow River, and is the miniature of regional social life and the era. Owning to the development of modern textile technology, traditional textile technologies gradually disappear with pedal loom as major production tool and spreading from mouth to mouth as the basic teaching method. Therefore, rescuing measures seems to be especially important for protecting traditional technology-Lu silk. Simultaneously, traditional Lu silk pattern, color, and human connotation become the main content of inheriting and developing national and regional culture.Since the early1980’s, traditional textile-Lu silk gradually aroused scholars’attention. According to the records of historical materials and literature works, some scholars summarized its production scale, production form, and Lu silk technique. Other scholars approach the flourish and fading of Lu silk during Ming and Qing Dynasties from aspect of economic history. However, there is lack of comprehensive discussion on Lu silk. To begin with technology and pattern art, the thesis inquires the textile technology and fabric art of Lu silk, and discusses the interaction between social culture factor and Lu silk weaving. Through an approach, the thesis holds that Lu silk is not only a kind of textile, but also a culture aggregation, which takes Lu silk as the basic element, forms Lu silk culture circle, and possesses common cultural characteristics. The inheritance of Lu silk is not only restricted in technology and craft level, but also thoughts and meaning highlighted as the main product. The thesis mainly uses thoughts, standards, and methods of scientific anthropology and oral science and technology history, launches field survey in the Lu silk origin, applies the method of individual and group interviews, collects a great deal of silk fabric in folk and their specific weaving technologies, obtains more accurate first-hand data, and combines them with literature data, and analyzes Lu silk technology, process, and culture and other characteristics by adopting "double proof" method.Major research contents and research achievements will be summarized as following:Firstly, through field investigation on major Lu silk origin, the thesis identifies the Lu silk concept, origin, distribution, and characteristics. Based on a large number of records of literature works and Lu silk in the Palace Museum, Lu silk is the major royal tribute thriving in Ming and Qing Dynasties and basically originates in Changzhi county and Gaoping city in southeast of Shanxi province. Through investigating and visiting in Jincheng city and Gaoping city and other places, based on field survey, the thesis specifies the origin records in historical literature, and puts forward a broad concept of Lu silk. Comparing to the narrow concept of Lu silk-royal tribute in Ming and Qing Dynasties, the broad concept of Lu silk refers to all of the silk fabric spreading in Ze and Lu region (Changzhi city, Jinchengcity) and radiating to overall Ze and Lu region with Changzhi County and Gaoping city as the center. In the long-term development, fusing traditional Chinese culture especially Jin culture and Central Plains culture, taking traditional auspicious folk pattern in the north as the priority, Lu silk expresses people’s good wishes and is the miniature of local customs and social life. The extension and specification of Lu silk concept enriches the literature records and inheritance of Lu silk culture, and has significant historical value and realistic meaning as well.Secondly, under the background of traditional Chinese textile machinery development, the thesis makes a in-depth research and time-space location for the textile machinery in Ze and Lu region, and finds out that the structure and working principles of Lu silk weaving machinery are identical to traditional textile tools in the north during Ming and Qing Dynasties, moreover contains rich local production practice experience, and has certain typicality and representativeness as well. Meanwhile, according to existing weaving machines and old artists’ introduction, the weaving technology of Lu silk and in Ze and Lu region is closely linked to the weaving technology in Gaoyang county of Hebei province, and is the typical case of the transferring and transplanting of modern weaving technology. Through field investigation for the first time, the thesis explores traditional weaving machinery in the region, deepens the research on traditional local weaving technology history; meanwhile, through studying the interaction between Lu silk weaving machine and Ze and Lu society in Ming and Qing Dynasities, it enriches the study on textile science and technology history.Thirdly, based on in-situ survey and personal participation, combining with local reserved historical documents, the thesis develops and collects basic technological procedure of Lu silk, and inquires its embroidery and dyeing process, and studies Lu silk weaving process including pattern and’color. Through studying Lu silk color, the thesis draws some conclusions:Lu silk color integrates traditional Chinese color element and popular color in Ming and Qing Dynasties with regional color in Ze and Lu region; through analyzing Lu silk pattern expressing forms and cultural connotations, it holds that pattern and color of Lu silk is the integration of technology and art, which embodies vivid characteristics of technical beauty. The artificial style of Lu silk lies in the happiness without floridity, decency without rigidity, and activity without publicity. The happiness, decency and activity of Lu silk reflects the generative culture image in Ze and Lu region, penetrates flourish cultural image, shows the respect for life, reflects the harmony of nature and human beings, and virtually and vividly reflects natural and simple custom in Ze and Lu region.Fourthly, the thesis firstly puts forward the concept of Lu silk culture circle, which refers to the silk culture circle with the local product-Lu silk as the domination. From the space dimension, Lu silk culture takes Changzhi county and Gaoping city as the center and radiating to overall southeast of Shanxi province; From the time dimension, the formation of Lu silk culture circle begins in the gestation period of sericulture civilization, and deeply rooted in the folk, which is constantly kept, and is inherited up to now. Lu silk culture circle is not only unique organic integrity and comprehensive performance of technology, economy, culture, and social function in Ze and Lu region, but also is the typical representative and the highest level of silk culture along Yellow River Channel and in the north of China.Finally, the thesis proposes the significance, necessity, and difficulties for the inheritance, protection, and development of Lu silk, and some suggestions for future development as well. From two dimensions of history and reality, on the one hand, as a kind of traditional technology in Ze and Lu region, Lu silk represents typical weaving technology along the Yellow River channel, and is the indispensable part for studying traditional textile history and nonmaterial culture as well; on the other hand, long-term accumulated of Lu silk weaving technology and culture has provided powerful support for the development of local textile industry. However, owing to the convergence of culture, the scarcity of market, and the competitiveness of enterprises, the traditional weaving technology is gradually disappearing and endangering. How to integrate traditional technological beauty and culture value with modern textile has become an important thought for the inheritance and renaissance of traditional Lu silk weaving technology. Thus, the thesis puts forward the new idea of applying traditional Lu silk pattern, color, and technology to embody regional specialties into modern textile and culture aesthetic. Lu silk, is more like a kind of local culture symbol than a kind of traditional local technology. The development of modern Lu silk industry has made Lu silk as the tool for exhibiting local culture and expanding local culture image. The significance of modern Lu silk inheritance and development lies in continuing the sericulture civilization in Ze and Lu region, reconstructing cultural identity with Lu silk as the core, and seeking for common spiritual destination.