The Confucius Museum in Qufu, Shandong province, showcases the region's traditional weaving techniques at the 11th Chinese Expo of Museums in Hainan province. [Photo/Confucius Museum]

For centuries, jin ("锦", Chinese brocade) was so labor-intensive that it was said to be "worth its weight in gold". The Confucius Museum in Qufu, Shandong province, is bringing this luxury textile into everyday life.

At the 11th Chinese Expo of Museums in Hainan province, running from Nov 13 to 16, the museum is presenting "Kongbo weaving", a project that reconnects brocade with the museum's collection and Confucian culture. The museum is even offering live demonstrations of the dahualou wooden loom, one of China's most complex traditional weaving machines.

A dahualou wooden loom on display on-site. [Photo/Confucius Museum]

The museum has incorporated the beloved Warring States-period (475–221 BC) yellow jade horse – a palm-sized artifact known for its smiling expression – into contemporary patterns. These appear on silk scarves, brocade fabric gift boxes, and enamel pins.

Other products push the craft further: brocade-accented basketball shoes, lightly styled Chinese garments for daily wear, and a board game inspired by a classic novel that unfolds into a silk scarf. One series incorporates patterns from ancient Chinese bronze vessels into textile designs.

The notebook, handbags, and basketball shoes using jin made by Confucius Museum. [Photo/Confucius Museum]

Through these designs, the museum is testing a different model of cultural preservation – one where heritage is not confined to display cases but becomes part of daily routines. The loom's clatter and the finished products on display suggest that brocade's future may lie not in nostalgia, but in reinvention.