machine-woven cloth; imported calico
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
machine-woven plain cloth; imported calico (opposed to native hand-woven cloth)
archaicHistorical term prevalent from the late Qing dynasty through the Republican era, referring to imported or domestically machine-produced plain weave cotton cloth. It stood in contrast to “土布” (native cloth), which was hand-woven. The term carries historical connotations of foreign trade, industrialization, and the gradual displacement of traditional textile crafts. In modern usage, the term is largely archaic, replaced by specific fabric names or the general term “机织布”.
During the Republican era, imported calico flooded the Chinese market, devastating the traditional hand-woven cloth industry.
Grandma said that when she was a child, she could only wear new clothes made of machine-woven cloth during the New Year.
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This is a time-honored calico shop with a history of one hundred years.