Molin Zhang

Molin Zhang

March 31, 2026

Kesi, Traditional craftsmanship, Artistic characteristics, Unique connotation.

Kesi(缂丝), also known as "Kesi(刻丝)", "Kesi(剋丝)", and "Kesi(克丝)", is a unique traditional silk weaving craft of the Chinese nation. Due to its exquisite craftsmanship and superiority over ordinary silk fabrics, it has extremely high collectible value and is known as the "saint of weaving" and "an inch of Kesi is worth an inch of gold". This ancient handicraft art originated from the wool weaving craft introduced along the ancient Silk Road, integrating silk weaving techniques. It has many unique characteristics in the weaving process, which distinguishes it from the general weaving method of "passing through warp and weft". Kesi uses raw silk as the warp and colored cooked silk as the weft, adopting the method of "passing through warp and breaking weft" to form the pattern boundaries, presenting a carved and engraved effect - looking like a carving when viewed from the hollow. This paper aims to explore the profound historical origins of Kesi art through literature research, case analysis, induction, and summarization, to understand its development trajectory in different periods from ancient times to the present, to fully analyze the relevant theoretical knowledge of Kesi craftsmanship, summarizing its technical characteristics from three aspects: weaving, color, and pattern, to systematically analyze the specific presentation of Kesi art in calligraphy and painting works, demonstrating its unique artistic characteristics from three aspects: perspective, composition, and content, and to analyze and sort out the profound cultural connotations contained in Kesi art through Buddhist scriptures, Buddha statues, and auspicious patterns.

© 2026, the Authors. Published by ISCCAC

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license