宋锦 (Sòng Jǐn)
Song brocade (宋锦) is the third of China's Three Great Brocades — alongside Shu brocade (CRAFT-0363) and Nanjing Yunjin (CRAFT-0386) — produced in Suzhou, Jiangsu, and inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List in 2009. Song brocade is distinguished from the other two traditions by its two-weft structure (双纬 shuāng wěi): a base weft and a pattern weft are interlaced simultaneously in each shed, producing a fabric with both structural integrity and surface pattern in a single weaving pass — a technically distinct solution to the same design problem that Shu brocade solves with the draw loom pattern heddle. The result is a heavier, more reversible fabric than either Shu or Yunjin, historically used for mounting Chinese paintings and calligraphy as well as for garments. The painting-mounting application means Song brocade pattern vocabulary is designed to complement rather than compete with the artwork it frames.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (2009)
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