A sturdy, yellowish-brown cotton fabric originally made in Nanjing, China, often used for clothing and durable goods.
Named after Nanking (now Nanjing), the Chinese city where the fabric was originally produced and exported to Europe in the 18th century. The fabric became so popular that the city's name became synonymous with this particular cotton weave.
Nanking is one of the few fabrics named after a specific city, which shows how dominant Chinese textiles were in global trade before industrialization—other fabrics like 'calico' (from Calicut) and 'damask' (from Damascus) tell the same story of trade routes written into our vocabulary.
Nanking fabric, originally from Nanjing, China, became euphemistically associated with sexual violence during the 1937 Rape of Nanking. The term itself is geographically neutral, but historical context requires sensitivity.
Use 'Nanjing cotton' or specify the historical period and geographic origin clearly to avoid conflation with atrocity.
["Nanjing cotton","Chinese cotton"]
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