Li Hailong’s Restoration of Four-Thread Twisted Luo in the 1990s

In the early 1990s, Li Hailong began restoring the ​four-thread twisted luo technique. Collaborating with retired state-factory technician Yu Shiming, they microscopically analyzed diamond-patterned ​twisted luo​ fragments from the Mawangdui Han Tomb and Forbidden City lacquer-gauze artifacts, reverse-engineering the “chain-twist” structure and sourcing specialized mulberry silk. Li modified traditional looms with manual twisting heddles and warp-separating rods to prevent tangling, while devising a standardized ​​“heddle-lifting mnemonic guide”​​  to streamline 30+ steps, boosting daily output from <1 cm to 5 cm. Integrating Japanese twisted-thread techniques from commercial orders, they refined parameters and in ​1996​ successfully recreated ​four-thread twisted luo​ with a warp density of ​86 threads/cm, nearly matching Han Dynasty craftsmanship and bridging a centuries-old gap in China’s silk heritage.