The China National Silk Museum and UNESCO have jointly compiled a thematic collection on cultural exchanges along the Silk Roads: Textiles and Clothing. This resulted in a joint publishing project.
On Friday, Feng Zhao, honorary director of the museum, and Shahbaz Khan, director of the UNESCO Beijing office, introduced the book on the theme: “Thematic Collection of Cultural Exchanges Along the Silk Roads: Volume Textiles and Clothing” (“Thematic Collection of the Cultural Exchanges along the Silk Roads: Textiles and Clothing Volume”).
The first volume, edited by editors-in-chief Marie-Louise Nosch, President of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Feng Zhao, reflects the central role of textiles and clothing in human society, particularly in light of the development of the Silk Roads.
The book’s 22 chapters include contributions from 30 renowned international scientists in the field of textiles and clothing from 15 countries, including Denmark, Russia, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, South Korea, India, Japan, Egypt, Ghana and China. They interpret and explain the development of the textile materials, the technology, the patterns, the art, the culture and the function of the Silk Roads from different perspectives as well as the exchange along the routes.
Almost 4,000 years of textiles
“The book provides a magnificent, comprehensive overview of the role that textiles and fabrics have played in world history, helping readers to understand the importance of this vast subject spanning almost four millennia,” says in a message.
“I hope this fascinating volume will be a valuable resource for both professionals and interested individuals. It will deepen knowledge of this important topic and contribute to the broader objectives of the Thematic Collection to deepen our collective understanding of these cultural exchanges and their contemporary heritage,” commented Gabriela Ramos, Deputy Director General for Social and Human Sciences at UNESCO.
“We learn how patterns, colors and fashions were important elements of imitation, influence and exchange, and why, when and where particular designs and motifs were adopted and how they evolved in their new environment,” added historian Peter Frankopan, who also wrote the foreword to the book.