The pattern of this fabric is themed around baby play, featuring four plant patterns: children and intertwined peonies, camellias, chrysanthemums, and lotus pods. There are two children in each pattern unit. On one side, the child wears a collar and ankle bracelet, tightly grasping the branches of peonies and camellias with one hand on the left and the other on the right. The body is tilted back, and the face is facing the blooming peonies; On the other side, the child faces the chrysanthemum, wearing the same accessories and forming diagonal symmetry through the same climbing movement. The lotus pod it climbs on has 19 lotus seeds. Peonies and chrysanthemums are located on two symmetrical axes, and both children form a visual focus with S-shaped curves, forming continuous pattern units through the direction of branches and vines. The pattern of infant play began to appear in the Tang Dynasty and was already very popular in the Song Dynasty. The combination of a child and a lotus symbolizes wealth and prosperity with many children, and is a wish for reproduction and a happy life. In addition, the pattern of children climbing branches may be related to the concept of "habitable vines", which originated from the grape vines and drinking carnival portrait themes introduced to Asia by the Eastern Roman Empire. This theme pattern appeared in China at the end of the 5th century, such as the pattern on the side of the stone foundation unearthed from the tomb of Sima Jinlong (died 484) in Datong, Shanxi. Sima Jinlong was a nobleman from northern China who served the Tuoba family of the Northern Wei royal family. From the 4th to the 8th century, the character images in infant play patterns began to evolve into children climbing on lotus flowers. A typical example can be seen in the "Da Zhi Chan Master Stele" erected in Xi'an, Shaanxi in the 24th year of Tang Kaiyuan (736 AD). Entangled flowers and child patterns are commonly found on textiles and ceramics from the Song and Jin dynasties in China, as well as on Korean celadon from the 11th to 12th centuries. Although this theme inherits the decorative themes of ancient Greece and Rome, it has been reconstructed through localization to form a unique Chinese baby play pattern. What is particularly interesting is that it is said that these fragments were unearthed in Rayy, Iran, where a large number of ceramics from the 12th to 13th centuries were unearthed, including Chinese export ceramics at that time. Due to the fact that the Chinese ceramics discovered at this site were all fired in porcelain kilns from southern China and exported through maritime trade, this silk piece is a rare physical evidence of the Maritime Silk Road. (New Society)