As one of the most important inventions and arts in ancient China, silk fabric has been a splendid part of the Chinese civilization for 5,000 years. During the Warring States Period, the silk weaving and embroidery technology of the Chu State had developed by leaps and bounds. With the expanding scale of production and elaborate craftsmanship, the artisans had created different kinds of silk with beautiful and various patterns and bright colors. China boasted the leading textile technology in the world at that time.

Silk fabrics are very dedicate. Very few ancient silks have been unearthed in sporadic archaeological excavations during a long historical period. But in 1982, a batch of silk fabrics from the Warring States period were unearthed in Mashan, Jinzhou, which showed the world what the stunning Chu State silk must look like more than 2,300 years ago. The silk fabrics from Mashan No. 1 Chu Tomb were still well preserved. There are all kinds of textiles such as thin silk, thick silk, yarn, brocade, figured woven silk material, silk braid, and embroidery. The finished products are mainly quilts, skirts, robes, cotton-padded jacket, and upper outer garments.

Liu Deyin, Research Librarian of Jingzhou Museum, "These textiles unearthed in Mashan No. 1 Tomb are the culmination of the entire silk fabrics during the pre-Qin period. They are rich in variety, complex in patterns and exquisite in craftsmanship. They were known as the underground treasury of silk at that time."

This batch of silk fabrics fully reflects the highly developed technology of sericulture and silk weaving in the state of Chu. They are smooth thanks to the even silk threading. It’s fine in weaving and bright in color. Silk and yarn are both plain weave fabrics. Brocade is a warp jacquard fabric, which can be divided into two-color brocade and three-color brocade. The two-color brocade is woven with two warp threads of different colors, and the patterns are arranged in strips along the direction of the warp threads, and the color scheme is ingenious and harmonious. The technology of knitting filling streak with a special draw-in weaving method was unknown to experts before the excavation. The knitted silk braids are the earliest knitted fabrics in the world we currently know, which greatly advanced the time when knitting technology appeared.

Liu Deyin: "With the protection and restoration by the cultural relics protection experts of the Jingzhou Cultural Relics Protection Center, this batch of silk fabrics had regained the original color and sheen. It wasn’t until then we decided they were good enough to be displayed."

A total of 35 complete silk fabrics were unearthed from the Mashan No. 1 Chu Tomb, of which 21 were embroidered. The main common method was the lock stitch, with flat embroidery. The patterns have a unique style featuring bright colors and romantic composition.

Liu Deyin: "If you look at the color scheme of the embroidery threads, the main color is red. But there are a lot of colors, and the pattern of the decoration is also varied. For example, the dragon pattern was embroidered in a very elegant and dynamic way. So far, we don’t see a lot of such silk fabrics elsewhere. It is something unique to the cultural relics in the Jingzhou Museum.”

Over the past 40 years, these exquisite silk fabrics unearthed in Mashan No. 1 Chu Tomb have been attracting the attention of domestic and foreign experts. The ancient city of Jingzhou has become a place that people can’t avoid when they try to study ancient silk products. The unique craftsmanship and patterns always provide inspiration for the inheritance and development of Jingzhou's intangible cultural heritage.