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The idea for silk first came to Leizu while she was having tea in the imperial gardens. A cocoon fell into her tea and unraveled. She noticed that the cocoon was actually made from a long thread that was both strong and soft. She also invented the silk loom that combined the threads into a soft cloth.
How was silk discovered in ancient China?
The story of the discovery of silk is recorded in writing by Confucius, one of China’s most famous philosophers and politicians. According to his tale, the Chinese Empress Leizu (also known as Xi Ling Shi) discovered silk by accident when a silkworm cocoon dropped into her cup of tea.
Where does silk come from in China?
Silk is mainly produced in the south of the Yangtze River Delta. Renowned silk producing regions are Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Sichuan provinces. Cities such as Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, and Shaoxing are well known for their silk industries.
What made silk so valuable?
Silk is a fabric first produced in Neolithic China from the filaments of the cocoon of the silk worm. It became a staple source of income for small farmers and, as weaving techniques improved, the reputation of Chinese silk spread so that it became highly desired across the empires of the ancient world.
Where does most silk come from?
China
| Rank | Country | Silk Production (in metric tonnes) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 146,000 |
| 2 | India | 28,708 |
| 3 | Uzbekistan | 1,100 |
| 4 | Thailand | 692 |
What is the best silk in the world?
Mulberry silk is the highest quality silk available for purchase. The unique thing about Mulberry silk is how it is produced. The resulting cocoons are spun into raw silk fibers. Because the silkworms of the Bombyx mori moth are fed only Mulberry leaves, the resulting silk is some of the finest available in the world.
How was silk first discovered?
Chinese folklore holds that silk was discovered in the 27th century BC when a cocoon fell from a mulberry tree into the teacup of the Chinese Emperor’s wife. She watched the cocoon unravel, revealing a long delicate thread. This legendary silk garment was only the beginning.
How did China maintain a monopoly on silk?
What did the government of ancient China do to enforce their monopoly on silk? They only allowed a few specific Roman merchants to buy silk. They made it a crime to export silkworms as well as their eggs. They sold it at a low price that no one else could compete with.
Which is most famous silk?
Among them mulberry silk is the most important and contributes as much as 90 per cent of world production, therefore, the term “silk” in general refers to the silk of the mulberry silkworm.
Is all silk from China?
While wild silks were produced in many countries, the Chinese are considered to have been the first to produce silk fabric on a large scale, having the most efficient species of silk moth for silk production, the Bombyx mandarina, and its domesticated descendant, Bombyx mori.
Why was silk so important to China?
Silk is important because the desire for it started trade between China and the Old World. Silk was a main staple of pre-industrial trade. Various goods were traded along the Silk Road, and the trade route opened up political and economic relationships between China, India, Persia, Arabia and Europe.
Why is silk so cheap?
Silk is an expensive fabric. With multiple factors affecting its price such as manufacturing difficulty, handling issues, and controls on output from suppliers. You can find a $49 100% silk shirt at Uniqlo and head to Equipment to see that their 100% silk shirt is priced at $200!Dec 5, 2016
How was silk stolen from China?
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. The monks then presented the eggs to Byzantine Emperor Justinian I in Constantinople, where he created a thriving silk industry.
Where was silk found?
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.
Who first made silk?
According to Chinese legend, Empress His Ling Shi was first person to discover silk as weavable fibre in the 27th century BC.
Are Silkworms killed to make silk?
How is silk made? There’s no getting around this: Silkworms die to produce silk. These processes make the cocoon easier to unwind in a single, unbroken filament that can be woven into silk thread. But when you dip the cocoon in boiling water or bake it with hot air, you’re killing the pupa inside.
Which is the most expensive 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.
Which country produces the best silk?
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.
Who first used silk?
Silk fabric was invented in Ancient China and played an important role in their culture and economy for thousands of years. Legend has it that the process for making silk cloth was first invented by the wife of the Yellow Emperor, Leizu, around the year 2696 BC.
Is real silk expensive?
Genuine and high-quality silk will always be relatively expensive. Although synthetic fabrics can be deliberately priced high, low prices usually indicate the fabric is not genuine silk. Real silk usually costs at least ten times as much as synthetics to produce.
Why was silk production kept a secret in China?
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.
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.
