The original waist loom and slant loom produced plain weave fabrics without patterns. To make the fabrics more colorful, the ancients used pick-up rods to pick up patterns. The ingenious ancients devised two methods: one was to use heddles instead of pick-up rods, thus giving rise to the multi-heddle jacquard loom; the other was to maintain the pattern picked up by the pick-up rods and find a way to repeatedly transfer the pattern to the warp threads, thus creating the pattern-based jacquard loom.
The ancient Shu brocade production area of Shuangliu, Sichuan, still retains the original multi-heddle loom, which is called the "Dingqiao loom" because its pedals are covered with bamboo nails, resembling the stone piers used for crossing rivers in the area. The pattern-based jacquard loom, which developed from the pick-up rod, also initially used bamboo-woven patterns. Its form can still be found in present-day Guangxi. Because its open jacquard mechanism is made of bamboo, it is also called the "bamboo cage loom" or "pig cage loom."
In search of better weaving principles and methods, through long-term exploration and practice, the heddle jacquard machine gradually developed around the Qin and Han dynasties, also known as the "garland jacquard machine." The garden jacquard machine represents the pinnacle of ancient Chinese weaving technology. Before the Tang dynasty, multi-heddle, multi-treadle looms were predominant, but after the Tang dynasty, the heddle jacquard machine became widely popular. A large jacquard machine is depicted in Lou Shou's "Gengzhi Tu" (Illustrations of Farming and Weaving) from the Song dynasty. Jacquard machines were introduced to Europe around the 11th and 12th centuries. In 1801, the Frenchman Jacquard invented a new generation of jacquard machines based on the Chinese heddle jacquard machine, using perforated patterns instead of patterned stencils.
Most of the jacquard machines currently used in China are of this patterned stencil type, gradually moving towards computer automation. Modern jacquard machines have evolved into high-speed electronic jacquard machines, which integrate precision mechanics, electronic control, and computer programming technology. They use electromagnetic drives or servo motors to control the independent lifting and lowering of warp yarns, achieving efficient weaving of complex patterns. The global market revenue for high-speed electronic jacquard knitting machines was approximately US$398 million in 2024 and is projected to grow to US$559 million by 2031.
