Works Cited

http://chineseculture.about.com/library/weekly/aa021201a.htm

http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/post/819657

http://insected.arizona.edu/silkinfo.htm

http://www.madehow.com/volume-2/silk.html

"The Ancient Chinese" Pg 34-35 by Diana in 1981 at Morristown, NJ

Silk's Background

China has a legend how silk was found, a Chinese princess was drinking her tea in her garden. Suddenly a silk worms cocoon fell in her hot tea and heat from the tea loosened the silk to a thread. Chinese was very protective of there secret of silk making process. They tried to keep the silkworm in general a secret. This was no secret to the world everyone found out how to make silk in no time.

Silk Making

Woman called Reel girls unwind the silk, after the silkworm has made its cocoon. After that they heat up the cocoon to kill the pupae inside, this must be done at the right time if not the pupae will turn into a moth an tear the cocoon in half. After it's teared you can't get much from that anyway. To unwind the cocoons first put them ina basin filled with hot water, find the lose end of the cocoon and twist them. Carry them to a small wheel there they are unwound. Two people measure the length of os the silk. They then twist them caing it raw silk, thay anr then dyed and woven into cloth. One interesting thing about silk is thatyou can get about 1,000 meters from one coccon. To make a mens tie it would take 111 coccons to complete it, while 630 coccons are used to make a womans blouse.

Silk Worms

By raising silkworms and unwinding there cocoons it is know as silk culture or subculture. It takes and average of 25-28 days for a silkworm to get old enough to make silk. Woman farmers then pick up the worm with a piece of straw, the worm will begin to start to make its cocoon this it the silk materials. Silkworms look like a big larvae with a horn on its rear end. Silkworms natural food plant called the Mulberry tree. Silkworms have been domesticated so that they can no longer live in nature by themselves. All wild populations are extinct, some older relatives live in Asia. In the eleventh century European traders stole mulberry tree seeds from the Chinese, soon the Europeans had silkworms at the mulberry trees that they have planted.

History of China's Silk

China's silk was first discovered in china as long ago as 2700 BC. If you knew about the silk you couldn't tell anyone about silk making, if you did they would kill you. Chinese people developed a new way by using silk to make clothing since silk was discovered. This silk clothing became extremely popular. Emperor Wu Di of western Han Dynasty decided to develop trade with the other counties. For 60 years of war, the worlds famous ancient Silk Road was built up at cost of many losses of life and treasures. From then on, Chinese silk, and other Chinese inventions, were passed on to Europe. Roman woman were crazy for Chinese silk. Before silk was invented the Romans usedlinin cloth, animal skin and wool fabic for clothing. For the Romans it was a sign you were wealth and high social status for them to wear silk clothing. Thousands of years have passed since china first discovered silk. Some counties are trying to make silk without silkworms let's see if it's true.