Atlas silk‍ is a fabric from northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region that dates back over 1,000 years. It is also one of the materials that gave the ancient Silk Road its name. Nowadays, with advanced techniques, more exquisite craftsmanship and diverse designs, atlas silk remains a valuable commodity, still popular along the new Silk Road.

At this silk factory in Hotan, thousands of visitors come through the doors every day to buy colorful silks and see the silk-making process, from the boiling of cocoons to the printing of the silk.

Soft, smooth and brightly colored, atlas silk has long been desired by women of all different ethnicities in Xinjiang. On festivals, women would often sing and dance while wearing dresses made from atlas silk.

In ancient times, Hotan was a major hub along the old Silk Road, and was renowned as one of the three silk cities in Xinjiang.

From the Han Dynasty through to the Tang Dynasty, the silk trade in this area remained highly prosperous. Silk was transported from here to Central Asia, the Middle East and Mediterranean countries.

Over the years, the production of atlas silk has combined the techniques of brocade, embroidery and dyeing.

Nowadays in Hotan's village of Jiya, atlas silk is made in almost every household.

Sixty-year-old Eli Mytiniazi started learning how to make atlas silk from his father at the age of 15. He now works for the Yong Hui Company, and has trained up to 100 apprentices. In charge of one of the factory’s three production lines, he earns a monthly salary of over 10,000 yuan (1,450 US dollars).

The Jiya Liren Company has built an exhibition hall of around 300 square meters, displaying the silk making craftsmanship to tourists. Each year it produces over 45,000 rolls of fabric, exporting to countries as far afield as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Germany, the US, and Japan.

The Belt and Road Initiative has further broadened the sales channels for atlas silk.

As the tented camel caravans winding their way across the deserts and mountains of Central Asia have now been replaced by roaring freight trains and trucks, atlas silk is ready to create another legend along the modern-day trade route.