Shu brocade, a special product of Chengdu, Sichuan Province, is a national geographical indication product of China.

From the Han to the Three Kingdoms period, Shu brocade generally refers to the characteristic brocade produced in Shu County (now the area around Chengdu, Sichuan). It is mostly woven with dyed cooked silk threads, using the warp to create patterns, and combining geometric pattern organizations and decorative patterns.

Shu brocade has a history of two thousand years. It mostly uses colored warp threads to create patterns, adds flowers with colored stripes, creates patterns with warp and weft threads, adds flowers with colored stripes first and then brocade groups, and adds flowers with square, strip, and geometric skeleton. It has symmetrical patterns and square continuity, with bright colors and strong contrast. It is a colorful brocade with the characteristics of the Han nation and local style.

Together with Nanjing’s brocade, Suzhou’s Song brocade, and Guangxi’s Zhuang brocade, it is collectively known as China’s four famous brocades.

Sichuan was formerly known as “Shu”, “Shu Kingdom”, and “the country of Silkworm Cong”. Here, the sericulture and silk industry have the earliest origin and is one of the birthplaces of Chinese silk culture. Shu brocade prospered in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods and was flourishing in the Han and Tang dynasties. It is named after being produced in Shu and has a long history and far-reaching influence in the production of traditional silk weaving craft brocade.

In 2006, the Shu brocade weaving technique was approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists. Shu brocade is also the predecessor of the Japanese national treasure-level traditional craft, Kyoto Nishijin weaving.