Introduction: The technological code behind the scarf

Today, when we pick up an Hermès scarf and appreciate its intricate and exquisite patterns, few people would think that the birth of these patterns is closely related to the “programming” technology of the Han Dynasty in China more than 2,000 years ago. Yes, the world’s earliest “programmed” textile machine – the Han Dynasty Shu brocade jacquard loom, is the ancestor of modern silk scarf manufacturing.
As the world’s earliest jacquard loom models discovered so far, they are the physical embodiment of the highest technology of brocade handicraft industry two thousand years ago, filling the gap in the history of science and technology and textile history of China and even the world, and becoming one of the top ten archaeological discoveries in 2013. Its principle even affected the early development of computer science.

Every pattern on this scarf is like a line of ancient code, “written” by Han Dynasty craftsmen with silk thread.

Han Dynasty Shu Brocade Jacquard Loom: The World’s Earliest “Programmed” Weaving

1) Working Principle of Jacquard Loom

Han Dynasty Shu Brocade Jacquard Loom (also known as “Multi-harness Multi-tread Loom”) is a textile tool that can weave complex patterns.

Its core principle is:

• Pattern control: The craftsman designs the pattern in advance and weaves it into a “program” (i.e. jacquard harness) with ropes. The loom automatically weaves the predetermined pattern by pulling different harnesses.
• “Binary” thinking: The lifting or lowering of each warp thread is like the 0 and 1 of a computer, which are combined into complex patterns.

British scientist Joseph Needham wrote in “Science and Technology in China”: “This loom is an early example of program-controlled machinery, and can even be regarded as the prototype of computer programming.”

2) Archaeological and documentary evidence

• Wang Yi of the Eastern Han Dynasty wrote in “Ode to the Loom Woman”: “The slender and quiet woman, with warps and threads, sways in many ways, and looks up and down in various ways.” It describes the operation scene of the jacquard loom.
• Loom model unearthed from the Han Tomb of Laoguanshan in Chengdu (2013): Archaeologists discovered four physical models of Han Dynasty jacquard looms, proving that China had mastered complex jacquard technology as early as 2,000 years ago.

The power of the jacquard loom lies in that it can compile and store a “binary” code similar to a modern computer for the loom through tens of thousands of silk threads. The “threading” of the workers during weaving is equivalent to programming the pattern, and finally weaving a brocade with a pattern.

3) Impact on world textile technology

• After the Han Dynasty, jacquard technology was introduced to Persia and Europe via the Silk Road.
• In the 18th century, the Frenchman Jacquard improved the “Jacquard loom” and used punched cards to control patterns, which directly inspired the programming ideas of early computers (such as the Babbage analytical engine).

The Millennium Evolution of Silk Scarves: From Shu Brocade to Modern Fashion

1) Han Dynasty Shu Brocade: The Origin of Silk Scarves

• “Five Stars Rising from the East, Profiting China” Armguard (excavated from the Niya Ruins in Xinjiang): Typical Han Dynasty Shu Brocade, colorful and delicate, proving that complex patterns could be woven at that time.
• Pattern features: Cloud pattern, dogwood pattern, bird and animal pattern, auspicious animal pattern, geometric pattern, symbolizing auspiciousness.

2) Tang Dynasty: Internationalization of Silk

• Through the Silk Road, Chinese jacquard technology was introduced to Central Asia and Persia, and Persian weavers developed “Zandani Brocade”.
• The Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi’s poem “Liao Ling”: “woven into the autumn geese outside the clouds, dyed into the color of spring water in the south of the Yangtze River”, describing the exquisiteness of silk at that time.

3) Ming and Qing Dynasties: Craftsmanship reached its peak

• “The Exploitation of the Works of Nature” (Ming·Song Yingxing) records in detail the structure of the jacquard loom.
• “Yunjin” and “Songjin” of the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau in the Qing Dynasty became the royal silk fabrics.

Ancient wisdom in modern silk scarf manufacturing

1) Computer jacquard machine: direct descendant of the Han Dynasty loom

• Modern silk scarf brands (such as Hermès) use electronic jacquard machines, but the basic principle is still the same as the Han Dynasty loom: pattern digitization → control of warp and weft interweaving → output pattern.
• The classic design of Hermès silk scarves (such as “Brides de Gala”) requires dozens of processes, which is surprisingly similar to the production logic of Han Dynasty Shu brocade.

2) Craft inheritance of luxury brands

• Hermès: Each silk scarf takes 2-3 years to design and uses more than 250 colors.
• Chanel: Cooperate with traditional silk weaving workshops in Lyon, France to continue the jacquard craft.

Conclusion

Silk scarves are not only fashion, but also a code of civilization
From Han Dynasty Shu brocade to modern silk scarves, the “programming” thinking of jacquard looms spans 2,000 years. Today’s silk scarves are not only elegant accessories, but also the crystallization of human technology and art.

Next time you tie a silk scarf, think about this: the pattern on it may be carrying the world’s oldest “code”.

References

1. Joseph Needham. Science and Civilisation in China.
2. Song Yingxing. The Exploitation of the Works of Nature.
3. Zhao Feng. History of Chinese Silk Art. Cultural Relics Publishing House, 2005.
4. Chengdu Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute. Report on the Excavation of Han Tombs at Laoguanshan in Chengdu. 2016.
5. Research on the Relationship between Jacquard Loom and Computer Technology (IEEE Annals of the History of Computing).