Kesi-- a style of Chinese silk weaving skill and one of Suzhou’s rare traditional crafts- is a kind of craftwork made of genuine silk. In today’s China, Suzhou is the only place Kesi skill is preserved. Kesi employs a weaving method called “passing warp thread and cutting weft thread”(Unlike continuous weft brocade, each color in Kesi style is woven from a separate bobbin, making the method both technically demanding and time-consuming), in which the surface pattern of the fabric seems like having been carved by a knife, and then earns its name a “Kesi”. Kesi is admired for its selected materials, gorgeous colors, and matchless workmanship. The tapestry is extremely detailed and exquisite, the pictorial designs of which are finely graded, taking on a three-dimensional appearance. Moreover, the pattern on Kesi fabric is identical when seen from its front and its back, making it a top art on par with Suzhou double-sided embroidery. At the same time, Kesi textile is able to withstand touch, scrape, and rub, far superior to other silk products in China. Kesi products are diversified, ranging from clothes, shoes and hats, ribbon bands and quilt covers in daily life to album of paintings and calligraphy, vertical hanging scrolls, traditional paintings hanging in the middle of the main hall, etc.
Inheritor of National Intangible Cultural Heritage Kesi Technique: Wang Jinshan