Antique Chinese in Stock. What's its history?

We have recently stocked an Chinese antique carpet. Hailing from the 1920's, this Chinese rug certainly has its fair share of history, raising the question of  "What exactly led to the creation of rugs and those like it?". For centuries now, China has been the site of a strong rug weaving tradition, rivaling other traditional weaving areas, such as India. Starting around the 1600's, the industry eventually built up to the point of making fine rugs for the Chinese Imperial Court around the mid to late 1800's. After the turn of the century, and into the 1920's and 1930's, Chinese weavers began to feel cultural influence from the changing, modern styles. In response, Chinese-woven rugs began to shed tradition in favor of contemporary art-deco styles seen elsewhere in the 1920's. The rug that we have in stock was made during this key transition, and is clearly woven in the traditional style, making it a relic of tradition in what was a very turbulent time for the Chinese rug weaving trade. The "friendship" motif featured in the center of this rug captures the values of traditional Chinese weavers.