Passing down the ancient craftsmanship of making 'yunjin'

Yunjin robes from Ming and Qing dynasties on display at the Nanjing Yunjin Museum on May 21, 2018. [Photo by Liu Huan/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In the museum's operation room stands 12 traditional looms for production and demonstration use. Two craftspeople operate the upper and lower parts of each loom to produce textiles incorporating fine materials such as silk, gold and peacock feather yarn. The method comprises more than 100 procedures, including manufacturing looms, drafting patterns and the many stages of weaving itself.

The technique was once used to produce royal garments such as the dragon robe and crown costume. Today, it's widely used to make high-end attire and souvenirs.