On January 21, 2021,College of International Students organized a visit to Jiangning Imperial Silk Manufacturing Museum, which attracted 25 international students to join.
Jiangning Imperial Silk Manufacturing Museum is a modern museum built on the former site of Jiangning Imperial Silk Manufacturing from the Qing Dynasty over 260 years ago, which specialized in the manufacture of silk fabrics for the exclusive usage of royal families and officials. It was the temporary royal dwelling palace in the Qing Dynasty. A very famous Chinese novel writer Cao Xueqin was born and lived here during his childhood when his family managed the manufacturing institution for nearly 60 years. Products made by imperial silk as well as stories of Cao’s family and his great novel are exhibited via new technologies in a creative way.
Jiangning Imperial Silk Manufacturing Museum has a rich collection, which allows international students to have a deeper understanding of Chinese culture and classical Chinese literature. Students visited Jiangning Silk Waving Bureau Hall, Dream of the Red Chamber Gallery and Brocade Gallery.
Part One: Jiangning Silk Waving Bureau Hall
First, the students visitedthe Model Exhibition Hall and saw the restored model of former Jiangning temporary Imperial Palace, the sample of the Qin Zheng Parlor and the design of the museum. The museum was designed by Mr.Wu Liangyong, a famous architect and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering.The complete style of the architectural features the profound, lofty, and a peaceful conception of Chinese landscape paintings.
Part Two: Dream of the Red Chamber Gallery
Next, the students knew more about the family background of the writer Cao Xueqin and watched the fragment of Dream of the Red Chamber in this exhibition hall. The students also learned a lot about real-life grand view garden, description of classic scenes, rough stone attains a nature of efficiency, the lineage chart of dream of the red chamber, prophetic verses of dream of the red chamber interaction, twelve songs of Dream of the Red Chamber interaction, some classic scene on multimedia and much more about the culture of Dream of the Red Chamber.
Part Three: Brocade Gallery
Last, the students visited Brocade Gallery and knew about the origin of cloud-pattern brocade, dragon robes, gold-woven silk fabrics, an official hat and a mandarin square, the scene of the bustling commercial street, the scene around Nanjing Confucius Temple and so on. The students also saw the classification of Nanjing brocade mandarin jacket, velvet blouse, embroidered satin, the cloth stamping stone and the wooden loom.
Through the two-hour visit, the students knew more about the culture and lifestyle in the Qing Dynasty, had a deep understanding of Jiangning weaving house and brocade production history, and fully felt the charm of traditional Chinese culture.They appreciate the event and wish to participate in such an informative and beautiful event next time.
