Cloud-pattern brocades from the Palace Museum of Beijing will go on display Thursday in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, where they were created.

"With over 1,500 years of history, Nanjing cloud-pattern brocades, a kind of high quality textile, have been used exclusively by imperial families in dynasties like the Yuan, Ming and Qing. The display will feature 60 of the best examples," said Xiao Yanyi, vice-curator of the Palace Museum.

The exhibition aims to promote China's traditional culture and support the application for the brocades' listing as works of human oral and non-material cultural heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said Xiao.

The colorful brocades will be displayed in the Nanjing Cloud-pattern Brocade Research Institute Museum till Oct. 23. The most elaborate articles include golden brocades with patterns of peacocks, dragons and flowers made in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and colorful robes with patterns of clouds, dragons and flowers made in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Most of the textiles are in bright yellow or gold, two colors historically used as imperial colors.

The cloud-pattern brocades can only be made by hand as the special weaving skills have never been replicated by machine.

(Xinhua News Agency September 26, 2003)