Fabric spun by 'cloud weaving' pitched to modern-day royalty

The bulky, 4-metre high Dahualou loom recently on display at the National Museum of China represents an art dating more than 1,500 years.

The wooden machine was the mainstay of the ancient Yunjin, or cloud, brocade industry, a tradition which originated in Nanjing, Jiangsu .

Cloud brocade is known for its striking colours, patterns, detail and variability. It takes such painstaking effort that craftsmen can produce only 5cm of fabric a day and at least two people are needed to run the loom.

The fabric was exclusively reserved for royal families in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, and at its peak, the industry employed more than 300,000 people throughout ancient China.

However, the tradition dwindled, nearly dying out during the last century. By 1949, only three masters of the cloud brocade were known to be alive. And so, five years later, The Nanjing Brocade Research Institute was set up.

Institute director Wang Baolin says cloud brocade is a national treasure because modern-day machinery is no substitute for the complex craftsmanship that creates the weave.

However, the institute's efforts have been hampered by red tape and lack of funding. Mr Wang says only 60 people in the country have even a rudimentary grasp of the skills.