Photo provided to China Daily

Wu has been passionate about silk production from childhood. He says seeing the old Songjin looms retreat into local museums brings him feelings of great sadness.

He began reviving the ancient textile in 2012 after his factory produced a small hand-made Songjin hand bag which turned out to be a popular exhibit at a local showcase.

Seeing its popularity, he was encouraged to organize a research team to work out a way that would lead to mass production of the textile.

The team succeeded in making technical improvements on four pieces of heavy machinery imported from Europe, enabling Wu's factory to mechanize the process.

Soon, they were producing 100 meters of Songjin a day, compared with the 8 centimeters accomplished by craftsman, Wu says.

With access to virtually unlimited amounts of the fabric, his factory could experiment with bold fashion designs without worrying about wasting the precious material.

His design team, which includes two Italian artists, is branded under the name Saint-Joy, which also makes scarves and handbags.