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The Chinese managed to keep silk a secret for over 1000 years. However, in 550 AD the secret of silk became known to other countries when two monks from the Byzantine Empire managed to smuggle some silkworm eggs out of the country.
Why did China keep silk production a secret?
Silk became a prized export for the Chinese. Nobles and kings of foreign lands desired silk and would pay high prices for the cloth. The emperors of China wanted to keep the process for making silk a secret. Anyone caught telling the secret or taking silkworms out of China was put to death.
How did the secret of silk get out of China?
The West finally cracked the secret in 552 CE when the Byzantine emperor Justinian sent two Nestorian monks to central Asia. The monks hit the eggs in their hollow bamboo staves. The eggs hatched into worms which then spun cocoons.
What is tussar silk made of?
Desi Tussar silk sarees are also known by the Sanskrit name, Kosa silk sarees. They are made from silk that is produced from silk worms that breed on wild forest trees, not mulberry trees. 2. A lot of India’s Tussar silk saree production happens in Bhagalpur in Bihar.
Why was revealing the secret to making silk punishable by death?
Why was revealing the secret to making silk punishable by death? Trading silk with other regions made china wealthy. If others learned how to make silk; it would not be as valuable.
What is the best grade of mulberry silk?
There’s limited production of silk floss per year and with high demand from China and around the world, many manufacturers uses grade C silk to fill orders. At Mari Ann, we only use Grade AAA Mulberry silk, which is only the top 3-5% of mulberry silk production. It is the finest silk available in the world.
What is the most expensive type of silk?
Mulberry silk is the finest and soft silk which is the most expensive silk fabric in the world! Even Cashmere silk and vucana silk are famous for their quality.
Is the silk route still used today?
In the 13th and 14th centuries the route was revived under the Mongols, and at that time the Venetian Marco Polo used it to travel to Cathay (China). Part of the Silk Road still exists, in the form of a paved highway connecting Pakistan and the Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, China.
What did the Chinese use silk for?
During some dynasties in ancient China, silk was even used as a form of money. Silk was used to make beautiful clothing. But it was also used to make silk canvas for painting and strong fishing line. It was even used to make the most expensive and sought after paper.
What is the best grade of silk?
3. Ensuring High Quality Grades of Silk in your Silk Pillowcases. Silk quality is graded A, B, or C, with Grade A being the best. Grade A silk is the highest quality long-strand silk from cocoons that are pearly white in color.
Who found silk?
According to Chinese legend, Empress His Ling Shi was first person to discover silk as weavable fibre in the 27th century BC.
What country produces silk that is made from the cocoons of silk worm?
Silk is produced year-round in Thailand by two types of silkworms, the cultured Bombycidae and wild Saturniidae. Most production is after the rice harvest in the southern and northeastern parts of the country.
Who stole the secret of silk from China?
In 552 AD, the two monks sought out Justinian I. In return for his generous but unknown promises, the monks agreed to acquire silk worms from China. They most likely traveled a northern route along the Black Sea, taking them through the Transcaucasus and the Caspian Sea.
How is silk made in China today?
How is silk made in China today? All butterfly and moth caterpillars produce silk, as do spiders, but only silkworms produce the lustrous, long fiber that is made into commercial silk. Over 300 varieties of this caterpillar are found in China today.
How did the first silk industry start in China?
The oldest known written reference to silk is on a bronze fragment found at the Shang Dynast site at Anyang. The Shang Dynasty existed from circa 1600 to circa 1050 BC. A small ivory cup adorned with a carved silkworm design found in China is thought to be between 6000 and 7000 years old.
Where did the original silk come from?
Origins in China. The origin of silk production and weaving is ancient and clouded in legend. The industry undoubtedly began in China, where, according to native record, it existed from sometime before the middle of the 3rd millennium bce.
Which country is first in silk production?
According to the International Sericulture Commission, China is the largest producer and supplier of silk in the world. While, India is the second largest producer of silk and silk products.
How can you tell quality of silk?
Simply touch your silk and get a good feel for the smoothness of it. Real silk is completely smooth to the touch, with a soft and almost waxy feeling. Further to that, if you scrunch it up a bit in your hand, you should hear a crunching noise – that sound should tell you that it’s the real deal.
How long was the secret of silk kept?
Anyone caught telling the secret or taking silkworms out of China was put to death. The Chinese managed to keep silk a secret for over 1000 years.
When did China lose its monopoly on silk?
Though it would later reach other places in the world, the art of silk production remained confined to China until the Silk Road opened at some point during the latter part of the 1st millennium BC, though China maintained its virtual monopoly over silk production for another thousand years.
When did silkworms leave China?
Silkworms were first brought from Asia to Byzantium around A.D. 550. Legend has it that two monks hid silkworm eggs inside a bamboo pole to smuggle them out of China, where they were guarded as closely as state secrets.
Why is silk so valuable?
Why silk is so expensive. Silk is the epitome of luxury when it comes to fabric whether it’s for robes, sheets, or dresses. Silkworms spin cocoons that silk producers eventually unravel and join to create the thread. Silk production costs have gone up with the introduction of synthetic fabrics like polyester.
