Chinese and Western culture talk about 丨 the earliest luxury goods in the world, from China

China is called "Silk Kingdom" by ancient Greece and Romans, that is, Seres means "silk" in Latin).

Guo Moruo's "The History of China" wrote: "China is the earliest country in the world to use silk. Chinese silk fabrics had enjoyed international reputation at that time, especially in the Roman Empire. 'Silk Kingdom' is full of longing and longing. They know that 'Silk Kingdom' is a big country; they praise the people's honesty, cleverness, and friendship of the people of the Silk Kingdom. "

The word "silk" that can endorsed the country is also the stories behind it.

Silk, from ancient times to the present, has been used to describe extremely fine lines. According to the latest archeology, Yangshao culture five or six thousand years ago had traces of raising silk. At the latest of the Shang Dynasty, the production of Chinese silk has begun to take shape. Not only is weaving techniques, but also complex textile machines.

▲ Ancient Silk Map

The ancients put the cocoon in the hot water, the pupae were burned, the cocoon became soft, and the end of the silk was revealed, which facilitated people to peel the cocoon.

A complete silk is nearly 1 kilometer long, and people wrap it around the stick for later use, and the text will be fixed at this moment. So we saw the "silk" Oracle text, with 4-6 circles, and they were skewed into 2 strings.

In the era when papermaking was not yet popular, in addition to making clothes, silk was also used to record historical materials.

▲ Changsha Ma Wangdui No. 1 Han Tomb Su Saha Yisha

▲ Changsha Ma Wangdui No. 1 Han Tomb T -shaped paintings

Due to the precious and difficult to obtain silk, cotton fabrics appear as a substitute for silk, and cotton is easier to produce than silk, making cotton textiles gradually become ordinary products used by general public.

In ancient high school society, no matter both Chinese and foreign, silk is a precious and luxurious and gorgeous clothing material, so that in ancient China, silk has been used as a high -value currency for a long time, and it can even be said to be a global currency recognized at the time.

In the Han Dynasty, silk can be used as payment as coins and food. Among the three, silk is even the most trusted.

Among the ancient officials of many officials, in addition to coins, there are also silk as an important part of it.

Of course, the most intuitive and intuitive Tang Dynasty. The Tang government harvested 20 million silk a year. The Tianbao year has soared to 27 million horses. A soldier distributes 12 horsepower and 12 stone rice each year.

▲ Tangli Lionbao pattern brocade China Silk Museum Collection

The warships and horses used in the Tang Dynasty also bought them with silk. Generally, more than 20 silk can buy a good war horse. These actions of the silk at the time of the Tang Dynasty were the same as the "prodigal" behavior in the eyes of other countries.

In 139 BC, Emperor Hanwu sent Zhang Jian to the Western Regions. Zhang Jian set off from Chang'an and passed through the Hexi Corridor Unicom West Region. Since then, China has established a broader official connection with the Western world. Peaceful diplomatic relations and international environments will inevitably bring the prosperity of multinational business. As a result, the Silk Road is born, and silk has become the earliest world goods.

In fact, as early as the Silk Road appeared, silk had gone from China to the world.

The Old Testament was born in the 5th century BC, which was mentioned twice in the "Old Testament" and called it "the most beautiful fabric." On the Gaza gods in the ancient Greek Patton Temple, the statue of the Greek Temple, also wearing a soft silk robe. There is no doubt that these silk passed through Persia. When Alexander conquered Persia, they found that everyone in Persia was wearing silk.

In the archeological discovery of Central Asia and the Mediterranean region, there are also many records of paying fines with silk.

Among the many documents unearthed from the Xuanquan site in Gansu, the businessmen who entered and exited the Chinese corridor through the Hanxi Corridor must explain to the officials they carried and walking routes and walking routes in detail. Come down. Among them, silk products were repeatedly mentioned and were almost the main goods of the Chinese and foreign business teams.

In the early Europe, silk became popular in high society like the current international brand. The aristocratic men and women are rushing to wear silk to show noble. The price of Chinese silk has been fired to 12 two gold to buy the sky -high price of 1 pound of silk. It is a symbol of wealth, the guarantee of arms, and a high -end luxury product pursued by rich talents.

The huge trade deficit made people worried at the time that the Roman economy would break down. There were historians who asserted that the collapse of the Roman Empire had a lot to do with the gold loss caused by silk.

Whether it is the East Expedition of Alexander, the westward of the Han Dynasty, the rise of the Persian Rome, or the sweeping of Mongolian whirlwinds, on the long historical timeline, the silk can always be found.

The small silk linked to the east and the west, weaving a large network of trade globalization thousands of years ago.

China has monopolized silk technology for nearly a thousand years. Until 552 AD, the cocoon was finally smuggled to Constantinople, which made the textile business out of control in Europe.

By the 18th century, in order to better imitate, the silk painters of the silk weaving factories in European countries and even a hand -made "Chinese Tap". Therefore, when it comes to the history of this "cottage", the West can be said to be far longer than we think.

Supervision/Ren Shuai

Editor -in -chief/Wu Weichun

Edit/Li Leilei

- END -