Source: Xinhua News Agency
Xinhua News Agency, London, August 27th. Hundreds of years ago, thanks to the trade exchanges brought by the ancient Silk Road, the British town of Macclesfield was famous in Europe for its prosperity in the silk industry. Today, silk culture is still being continued and inherited in the town. The reporter recently walked into this "Silk Capital" in England to feel the efforts of the locals to continue silk culture and seek to broaden the path of cooperation.
Mcclesfield is located in northwest England Cheshire with a population of about 50,000. The 18th and 19th centuries were the heyday of the small town's silk industry, and there were more than 70 silk manufacturing plants at one time.
Nowadays, although there are not many silk manufacturers in the town, silk is still the most eye-catching element here: the apartment building is named "Silk House", the shopping plaza is named "Silk Retail Park", and the Circle Road It is called " Silk Road ", and even the fish and chip restaurant is named after "Silk Fried Food".
In the town’s tourism information center, a silk painting resembles Chinese fan embroidery attracted many tourists to stop. Pink flowers are painted on the thin silk cloth, and a butterfly is lined by it. This work was hand-dyed by local silk painter Ruth Lear.
There are many folk artists like Lill active in the town, who are committed to inheriting the traditional skills of silk making. Jeff Cogren is one of them. Cogren told reporters that the small cultural and creative company he runs is trying to blend ancient silk elements with modern art, such as making various greeting cards with ancient silk styles as the background.
On August 11, workers worked in a silk factory in McClersfield, England. Photo by Li Ying, Xinhua News Agency
Many British people regard McClellsfield as the westernmost end of the ancient Silk Road extending in Europe. Ancient Silk Road elements appear frequently on local hot-selling coasters, tea towels, and other souvenirs. The reporter saw a passage on a coaster: "The ancient Silk Road extends from Xi'an, China to McClersfield."
During the conversation, Cogren shared with the reporter the "uncomprehension of the town and China in his eyes. edge". He said that in the past, many local silk manufacturers imported a large amount of silk raw materials from China, and in recent years, many Chinese tourists came to McClersfield to explore the history of silk, "This kind of cultural exchange is needed between Britain and China."
Mcclesfield still retains a small-scale silk industry today. One of the textile companies, Adamley, combines traditional screen printing technology with modern digital printing technology to produce high-end silk fabrics. The company's CEO Tro Manukian told reporters that the company has been cooperating with China for 15 years, and 80% of silk raw materials are imported from China because "the world's best quality silk fabrics are produced there."
Manukian visited China many times and he was deeply impressed by the development of China's silk weaving industry. "I visited China for the first time 15 years ago... When I went to China again in 2018, I was amazed by the improvement of the hardware facilities of Chinese companies." In Manukian's view, the "Belt and Road" initiative has benefited McClellsfield. He said he would like to see more cooperation between the two countries.
In McClersfield, silk is not only an industry, but also a cultural link . In June this year, the British Silk Road Horizon Foundation, the board member of the British Shaanxi Chamber of Commerce, invited representatives from all walks of life in the UK to gather in McClersfield and held a dialogue activity with Beilin District, Xi'an, combining the Silk Road with the theme of the Silk Road and online and offline. This is one of the UK's "4th China Tourism and Culture Week" activities hosted by the Tourism Office in London and supported by the Cultural Office of the Embassy in the UK.
Executive Chairman of the British Shaanxi Chamber of Commerce Jiao Bo said that the exchanges between Xi'an and McClersfield are aimed at promoting investment promotion, which not only brings more opportunities for cultural exchanges and trade exchanges to both sides, but also helps Chinese students in the UK to innovate and start businesses. Strengthen social practice. (Reporter: Du Juan, Zhao Xiaona; Edited by: Sun Shuo; Editor: Wang Fengfeng, Zhang Dailei)
Xinhua News Agency International Department produced
Xinhua News Agency International Communication Integration Platform produced
