The Great Spinning Wheel

Great Spinning Wheel (Dafangche): A large-scale, multi-spindle machine powered by either a hand-crank or a foot-treadle, used primarily for spinning hemp or ramie into strong yarn. Garments (Naifu): The section of the encyclopedia dedicated to the production of clothing materials.

[An intricate woodcut illustration occupies this section, depicting the "Great Spinning Wheel." It is a complex wooden frame holding dozens of spindles. A large drive wheel is connected by a series of belts or cords to the spindles, allowing a single operator to spin multiple threads simultaneously—a precursor to industrial mechanization.]

Table of Contents

Collected Illustrations of the Three Powers

Original: Sancai Tuhui (三才圖會). The "Three Powers" refer to the classical Chinese triad of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. This Ming Dynasty encyclopedia sought to categorize all knowledge across these three domains.

Implements, Volume Nine

Page Three

Table of Contents


Peeling knife	Mulberry chopping block	Silk reel Mulberry tongs	Weft also	Cotton square	Boiled floss pulley	Cotton-bow and rolling mat	Cotton warping frame	Cotton gin
Shuttle	Winding machine also	Warping rack	Loom also	Ramie scraping knife	Large cotton gin	Spinning wheel	Thread frame	Spinning basket

This table serves as a visual index for the volume on tools. The items are listed in the order they appear in the text, tracking the journey from raw fiber to finished cloth. The inclusion of both the Cotton gin (used to remove seeds) and the Large cotton gin suggests a focus on varying scales of production, from household use to workshop level.

The term Cotton-bow (弹弓) refers to a tool used for "bowing" or fluffing cotton. By striking the string of a large wooden bow against a pile of raw cotton, the vibration separates the fibers and removes impurities, making it soft enough to spin. The Ramie scraping knife is a specialized tool used to strip the outer bark and green skin from the ramie plant to reach the strong inner fibers used for "grass cloth."

The entry for Loom (机) followed by "also" (又) indicates that the encyclopedia covers multiple variations of the machine, such as the draw-loom for complex patterns versus the simple treadle loom for plain weave.