Silk

Welcome to this edition of China Lifestyle Journeys, the series that brings you chats, discussions and insights on all aspects of Chinese living. We will cover festivals, food, traditions, customs and much, much more. I’m your host Jocelyn… and I’m Mat, just an English guy with lots of questions.

So, Mat, what’s your big question today?

(Mat)

Hello listeners! Welcome to a rather glamorous episode of China Lifestyle Journeys. Today we’re looking at the world of silk and its role in both Chinese fashion culture and even global fashion. Now silk has always been cherished1 in China as a symbol of beauty, elegance, and luxury. We know that, I think everyone knows this. I also know that silk has a really smoothtexture2, (Actually, there’s a word or an expression that we use quite a lot in English to mean really smooth – ‘silky smooth3’ , and we use this expression ‘silky smooth’ to talk about anything with food, drinks, material, when the texture is really smooth… we say it’s silky smooth.) So I know that silk is smooth… but apart from this… what makes it so special as a fabric for clothing? So Jocelyn, let’s talk about silk fashions and what makes silk so special for people like yourself, for Chinese women.

(Jocelyn) 

OK, I think that’s a great place to start! Silk has been an important part of Chinese fashion culture for centuries. Silk is smooth, or ‘silky smooth’ as you say in English. It has a unique shiny finish to it. It flows and hangs in a really beautiful and elegant way. Imagine a large piece of cotton, think about how it hangs down. Now imagine a piece of silk hanging, you can almost picture that special quality, the way that it drapes4 so elegantly. Now that’s just the start. It also feels very soft and delicate on the skin when you wear it. So, because of these qualities, silk is perfect for making elegant shapes in traditional Chinese clothes likeqipao dresses,tangzhuang jackets, and things like that.     

(Mat)

Hang on a second, I get the part about the silky smooth texture and the way it hangs, but what were those words you just said,qipao andtangzhuang... I think you’ll need to explain those before we continue.

(Jocelyn) 

Sure! Aqipao is a traditional Chinese dress that’s known for its elegant, fairly tight,figure-hugging5 design. It’s often worn by women on special occasions, and features a high collar and unique patterns. You’ve definitely seen one before – it’s the classic traditional Chinese dress. It’s a symbol of grace andfemininity6. Atangzhuang, on the other hand, is a style of traditional Chinese jacket. It has a straight cut and a stand-up collar. Both of these classic clothing items look best when they’re made from silk.

(Mat)

Ah yes, I can picture them now. So let’s get back to the fabric, silk. Now I know that there are different types of silk, like different quality levels or grades (I remember this, I think, when I was in a traditional silk shop somewhere). So how can we tell how good a piece of silk is? How do we measure the quality?

(Jocelyn) 

So, when it comes to silk quality, there are a few things to look for. One of the most important things is the sheen7 (that’s just a fancy word for how shiny the fabric is or the material is)  – the highest-quality silk has a natural, beautiful shine. It looksglossy8 and almost wet. And it behaves like a liquid, it has a unique fluid flow (that I’ve mentioned before). The highest-quality silk looks so shiny that it has a strange reflective quality to it. Now, as you go down in quality, the sheen is lower, so the silk looks less shiny, and this gives it a less fluid appearance, and it looks kind of flat. And there’s another important difference, the higher-quality silks are stronger because they are made from the best raw material. Cheaper lower grade silk isn’t as strong because it’s made frominferior9 materials, so it doesn’t last as long as it can break or tear quite easily.

(Mat)

Now that’s quite interesting because I thought the opposite would be true. In my mind, when I picture high-quality silk, I imagine a fabric that is really delicate and easy to rip. But it seems like you’re saying that this isn’t the case.

(Jocelyn) 

That’s exactly what I’m saying. Because of its light weight, silk is often thought of unable to withstand everyday wear. A lot of people think silk is fragile10 because of its appearance. On the contrary, silk is one of nature’s strongest natural fabrics when it’s high-quality silk, it’s really strong. A well-made silk dress can last for decades and even become anheirloom11 piece. In Chinese museums, you can find examples of old silk clothing that is hundreds and even thousands of years old.

(Mat)

Wow, I didn’t know that. So silk is one of the strongest fabrics or natural fabrics in the world. That’s pretty cool.

(Jocelyn) 

Yeah, I forgot to mention before that it has a nickname, ‘The Queen of Textiles12’ and it gets that name partly from its appearance and partly from its strength.

(Mat)

Right, that’s quite a cool nickname, I’m impressed. So if silk is the queen of textiles, what’s the king?

(Jocelyn) 

Haha. To be honest I don’t know the answer to that, cause it’s meant to be an episode just about the queen, silk, I guess.