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Song Dynasty Water-Powered Looms

Type Object Region China Time 1001–1200

The Song combined hydraulic machinery with textile production, using water-driven large wheels to power spinning wheels, winding frames, and jacquard…

Timeline

  1. 1001–1010Weaving workshops in Suzhou and Hangzhou, Jiangnan · Liangzhe CircuitIn the early Northern Song, Jiangnan silk weaving flourished; riverside workshops used water-driven large wheels to power multiple spinning wheels simultaneously, doubling human pedal-powered efficiency and greatly increasing output of silks and satins.
  2. c. 1050–1100Brocade centers in Chengdu Prefecture and Zizhou · Yizhou CircuitSichuan weaving workshops further combined water-driven transmission with drawloom jacquard devices, enabling complex-pattern Shu brocade; water power provided steady, even drive, reducing weavers' physical exertion.

Sources