Red-foundation Silk Twill Featuring Confronted Auspicious Animals in Floral Medallions Front

Qi (绮) is a kind of Chinese silk twill woven with one strand of warp threads intertwining with one group of weft yarns end up with patterns in the same color of the foundation fabric. It is also referred to as “minor jacquard” in modern Chinese weaving terminology.
As stated in the ancient Chinese linguistic classics The Six Categories of Chinese Characters that jin-silk (jin, 锦) is woven with dyed silk yarns while qi (绮) with undyed ones, ancient Chinese damask was a monochromatic fabric with inconspicuous motifs woven with raw silk first and dyed after the weaving is done. With a typical Han-style weave structure, it was a sumptuous textile known for even tone, pleasant luster and soft feel among single-color categories.