The Shasta courier., 1870-02-05
A Visit TO a Chinese Silk Fac
tory

A correspondent to the Cincinnati Com
mercial writes from Canton:
81 directed my guide to take me into
the silk weaving streets. We soon entered
them. | at once dismounted to make a
careful observation of their modus operandi
Tor the productian of this renowned fabric
of Oriental looms. All around me was
silk, silk, nothing but silk. In small, dark
houses, little better than novels, were seen
people, chiefly women, dyeing this delicate
textile. Outside, in little filthy yards and
pig sites, over the ground where the family
swine were wallowing, were placed bamboo
poles, whereon were hanging skeins of silk
just from the dye, and glowing with the
most vivid hues, as they hung for driving
IN the sunshine over the loathsome pools
below. | visited several of their weaving
shops. They were quite similar in their
nxtures and arrangements spent some
time In examining one of the largest. 1t
Was, perhaps, about one hundred feet long
and sixteen feet wide The walls were Of
course clay blocks, sun-dried, unpierced by
single aperture for air or light save at
the 'front.' which was entirely open the
whole breadth of the building. The floor
was simply of trodden clay, uneven and
untldy. An aisle ran down the center,
just wide enough for one person to pass /;
on either side of this were ranged the near
est looms, and standing as close together as
they could be placed
Two or three persons were employed on
each loom. The looms are plain, common
looking affairs, almost precisely of the same
kind, as to appearance and mode of manip-
ulation, as were those upon which our
grandmothers in Ohio used to weave the
linsey woolsey for the wear of us Western
boys, when even the peacher was almost
stranger to broadcloth. Squating myself
down by one of these friendly-looking
acqualntances of my boyhood, | leisurely
watched the delicate and diligent manpu-
lation of the weaver and his assistants as
the shuttles flew to and fro in the mazy
mystery of figures and flowers that came
gradually out larger and palmer upon the
glowing surface of the gorgeous fabric
which those skillful workmen we're there
creating under my eye. So complex were
the movements of the men on these simple
looking machines, and so marvelously
beautiful were the products resulting there.
from, that | gazed with unbounded amaze
ment upon this work of silk weaving as it
progressed before me-
The weather being warm and the shop
crowded, the workmen were almost naked.
My visit interested them manifestly, yet
not loom ceased its clicking, clacking
noise, not man left his employment to
gaze, but | detected them giving furtive
glances and exchanging mutual smiles
among themselves at the curious stranger
who had thus unceremonousIy squated
himself down in their midst, by one of
these humble looking looms, en- "a common
dirt floor, within homely clay walls, where,
nevertheless, are produced those magnif-
icent fabrics which for ages and throughout
the world, have been the pride of wealth,
the envy of beauty, and the admiration
and desire of royalty. Far down, and
nearly to the extreme limit of this long
room, was plain board counter, extending
quite across the room. Behind it stood
the proprietor of the factory, smooth
faced, riehly-clad Chinaman. Directly
over him the building Was unroofted, there
by affording spacious skylght; except
this, window there was none. Through
this skylight and down upon the counter
below, the sunshine fell upon the finished
work Of this dingy, dirty, squalid looking
workshop. The proprietor was busy meas
uring off and packing up the product of
his looms.
And, as the sunlight streamed full upon
the gorgeous colors of those magnificent
silks, satns and brocades which the pro-
prietor was tossing about him in billowy
radiance, 1t seemed to my eyes, as | stood
far up in the feeble light of the center of
the room, as though he were tossing and
toying with rainbows From places so
humble and surroundings so squalid as this
come those royal fabrics which are to dec
crate palaces and to adorn the persons of
princes and monarchs of the earth"