The story of silk and the silk textile arts of China are intricately interwoven with the story of Chinese history and culture. As early as the Shang period in the 2nd millennium B.C. evidence of beautiful woven and colored silk and finely tailored garments has been found in the tombs of the Shang rulers. By the time of Aristotle in the 4th century B.C. silk was a highly treasured commodity in the Mediterranean region and in Roman times was said to be worth its weight in gold. The fabled Silk Road became well established by the 2nd century B.C. during the Han dynasty and the Han emperor, Wu Ti, expended his empire westward to protect this vital trade route. During the Han dynasty the Chinese were still the only people who could produce this precious fabric and guarded the production of silk with great secrecy. Although the Chinese lost the exclusive knowledge of silk production by the time of the Tang dynasty (618 - 906), they remained unequalled in the high quality and complexity of design and techniques.

Luxurious brocades, damasks, satins, tapestry weavings, velvets, and a profusion of embroidered silks with polychrome silk thread and gold thread were made. Exquisite needlework was used everywhere, on every type of garment, wall decorations, temple hangings, costumes, bridal garments, religious robes and screen panels, etc. Embroidery was considered a very fine art. In all the textile art, colours were rich and harmonious and the texture luxuriant. Ancient designs were in constant use and new patterns added with changing tastes and aesthetics over the centuries. In China, very little of the ancient silks survive apart from recent discoveries in tombs. However, in the last few years fine Sung (960 - 1279) and Ming (1368 - 1643) dynasty pieces have been discovered stored in temples in Tibet, but are forbidden to be taken out of the country. Most of the robes and wall hangings etc. we see today are from the late Ming dynasty and from the Ching period, approximately 16th to the 20th century. Textiles from this period offer us a dazzling glimpse into the sumptuous and elegant life surrounding the Imperial Court and the elite of China.

Nowhere was the use of silk more important than at the Imperial Court where robes and court accoutrements were simply opulent. Weavers and embroiderers were honored professionals and the Imperial family alone employed thousands in the production of their robes and court decorations. Prestigious silk robes were highly regarded that when they were no longer worn, they were dedicated to temples where they were made into altar frontals and temple hangings. Robe decorations were filled with symbolic motifs and stylized designs with a readable visual vocabulary that became well established. These designs became so elaborate and confusing in the 17th and early part of the 18th century that the Emperor, Chien Lung, passed the Manchu Sumptuary Laws in 1759 which codified colour, decorative designs and motifs on courtier's robes to designate official position and rank. The prime means of communicating the importance of an occasion or ceremony, and the rank and status of the wearer, was in the decoration and refinement of the garment worn. The decorative elements of the Emperor's magnificent dragon robes evoke the philosophical concept of China as the center of the universe and the Emperor's mandate from heaven to rule its people.

One of the most interesting rank devices from the Ming and Ching dynasties were the insignia badges (Mandarin Squares). These were medallions of squares worn on the front and back of formal coats to indicate rank and status. Manchu Imperial Clansmen wore dragons to define their position in the court hierarchy. Ethnic (Han) Chinese held civil court system was divided into nine ranks, each represented by a specific bird. The military also had nine ranks, each with animal symbols. Civil court ranks were earned through the elaborate system of examinations at the Hanlin Academy and were very highly esteemed because of the rigorous examination process and honored earned. Unfortunately, at the end of the Ching dynasty ranks were bought and sold to bring in much needed finances for the government in Peking. These exquisite rank insignias can be seen on the familiar ancestor portraits.

Silk textile arts, especially embroidery, were important domestic talents and a husband would take great pride in his wife's needlework. In fact, a family's prosperity might be judged by the quantity of its embroidery. Clothing was decorated with Daoist and Buddhist motifs, scenes and characters from the classical literature, as well as floral and bird designs. Skirts, jackets, robes and especially lady's sleeve bands and trimmings were elaborately decorated. The most loving care and whimsical designs were lavished on children's clothing. The dragon and phoenix symbols, although supposedly strictly reserved for Imperial use, became widely used for wedding robes of the ethnic Han Chinese in the 19th century. The bridal couple became, as it were, the 'Emperor and Empress' for the day, thus forging a link between the family and the Imperial rulers of Chinese society.

The most well-known embroidery stitch work includes the satin stitch and its many variations, stem, loop, applique, count (petit point), gold and metallic thread couch work, Pekinese chain stitch, and the famous Peking knot also known as the forbidden or blind stitch. The art of needle work is very ancient and many kinds of stitch work practised in the last few centuries were also in evidence from first century pieces found in tombs. Just as a man's learning and intelligence was judged by his skill at calligraphy, so a woman was judged by the excellence of her needlework.

Very little antique Chinese textile art have come out of China in the last decade apart from small pieces and sections salvaged from garments. However, during periods of turmoil such as the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and more especially during the troubles at the end of the Ching Dynasty, court robes, temple hangings, insignias etc. appeared on the market and found their way into museums and private collections in the west. Antique silk treasures came back with university professors, merchants, and missionaries who left China in the first half of the 20th century when the Communist regime took control. At present quality old pieces are almost impossible to obtain from China. Consequently, the pieces which surface today from estates in the west are greatly prized and sought after.