Legend of Silk of Ancient China

Legend of Silk of Ancient China

Learn about Legend of Silk of Ancient China history. How silk is made and the story behind who invented the cloth from a silkworm cocoon

What is Legend silk?

Legend of Silk of Ancient China

When creating their cocoons, silkworms make silk, a delicate but durable material. It can be woven into a fabric that is incredibly smooth and silky. For thousands of years after it was developed, silk fabric was crucial to Ancient Chinese culture and economy.

Legend of Silk

According to legend, Leizu, the Yellow Emperor’s wife, created the method for manufacturing silk fabric in around 2696 BC. Leizu first had the concept for silk while enjoying tea in the imperial gardens. In her tea, a cocoon fell and disintegrated. She discovered that the cocoon was actually constructed from a length of sturdy yet delicate thread.

Then, Leizu figured out how to make a thread out of the silk fibers. She also created the silk loom, which knitted the threads together to create a silky fabric. Leizu soon had a grove of mulberry trees for the silkworms to eat from and began instructing the rest of China in the art of producing silk.

Making Silk

The ancient Chinese bred special moths to produce the quality silk they wanted. Here are the steps in the process for making silk:

• A moth lays 500 or so eggs and then dies
• Baby worms hatch from the eggs are fed mulberry leaves for one month until they are fat
• The worms spin cocoons
• The cocoons are steamed to kill the growing moth inside
• The cocoons are rinsed in hot water to loosen the threads
• Women would unwind the cocoons and then combine six or so fibers into silk threads
• The threads are woven into cloth
• The cloth is then pounded to make it softer

Silk in Chinese Culture

Ancient China considered silk fabric to be of great value. Silk clothing was a significant status symbol. Silk was first restricted to royal family members only. Later, only the noble class was allowed to wear silk garments. Silk was forbidden for both merchants and peasants to wear. Even money made of silk was utilized in several Chinese kingdoms in antiquity.

Keeping Silk a Secret

For the Chinese, silk became a treasured export. Foreign nobles and kings coveted silk and were willing to pay exorbitant amounts for it. The Chinese rulers wished to keep the production of silk a secret. Anyone found divulging the information or removing silkworms from China was executed.

Smuggling Silk

Over a thousand years, the Chinese were successful in keeping silk a secret. However, in 550 AD, two Byzantine Empire monks who were able to smuggle some silkworm eggs out of the country made the secret of silk known to other nations. Inside their bamboo walking sticks, they hid the eggs.

Facts about Legend of Silk of Ancient China

• It wasn’t until the Qing dynasty, which ruled from 1644 to 1911, that peasants were allowed to wear silk clothing.
• Silk was used for other purposes than clothing such a paper, fishing lines, bowstrings, and canvas for painting.
• Around the thirteenth century, Italy became one of the major producers of silk. Some of the finest silk in the world is made in Italy today.
• Silk clothing was often embroidered with designs. The most popular designs were of flowers and birds.
• Silk was such an important product from China that the trade route from Europe to China became known as the Silk Road.

Read also: Numbers and Colors in Ancient China