Tang Dynasty Silk Looms and Weaving

Timeline

1. c. 700–730Weaving and Dying Bureau of the Court of Imperial Manufactures, Chang'an · ShaanxiAt the start of the Tang, the court established the Weaving and Dying Bureau to manage official silk workshops in the capital region and the provinces. Weavers used vertical flower-tower looms, treadling to raise the heddles and throwing the shuttle by hand to weave damask, gauze, plain silk, and brocade, with patterns set in advance on pattern cards. Famous traditional products such as Shu brocade and Yue gauze were already included in the tribute and market-assessment systems.
2. c. 731–760Yizhou, Yangzhou, Dingzhou · ChinaDuring the Kaiyuan and Tianbao eras, varieties such as Shu brocade, Dingzhou damask, and Yangzhou brocade reached their peak, and flower-tower looms could weave complex roundel, pearl-roundel, and hunting patterns. Tang textiles excavated at Astana in Xinjiang confirm that Central Plains loom techniques and patterns spread westward along the Silk Road, while Western Regions weft-brocade techniques also flowed back to influence Central Plains weaving.
3. c. 761–800Prefectures of the Jiangnan East Circuit · JiangnanAfter the An Lushan Rebellion, northern silk production capacity was damaged and Jiangnan became the new weaving center. The two-tax system's conversion of taxes into cash spurred the growth of private weaving households, with looms scaling up and division of labor refined. Although court brocade quality still relied on the Court of Imperial Manufactures, market output of damask and plain silk surged, supporting the economic recovery of the mid- and late Tang.