The history of silk

1. Silk culture had its beginning in China. How long ago no one knows. There are records that seem to show that it was an important industry as early as 3000 years before our era.

2. Silk production was introduced into Korea and Japan about 200 years before our era. As time went on it spread to India and Persia, although the Chinese government tried to keep all silk production to itself.

3. The Chinese themselves used to tell the foreigners, when asked as to the origin of silk, that it was obtained from the fleeces of sheep which on being sprinkled with water in the sunshine, at certain seasons in a year became covered with fine fibres quite different from the woollen ones. These, on being combed out, were found to be of fine silk, ready for weaving.

4. As it meant punishment to ship silkworm eggs out of the country, the cultivation of silk remained a secret with the Chinese for about 3000 years. It was two thousand years before the Chinese let any one else know how it was done. The secret was finally shared with Japan, Korea and Persia.

5. The discovery and development of silk as a textile fibre is interwoven with romance and legends.

6. One legend says that silk was taken into Japan by two monks. These men used hollow bamboo canes to hide and to carry silkworm eggs in. From this time on the raising of silkworms as well as the production of the fibre gradually spread throughout the world from Japan.

7. Other authors think that it was from India and Persia that Europe first learned of silk.

8. Hence the second legend says as if silk was brought into Persia by a Chinese princess. This princess was to marry a Persian prince. She took all her jewels and all her riches to her new homeland and knowing the importance of silk culture she decided to take some of the silkworm eggs to her new homeland as well.

9. She told nobody about it. As she was leaving her native land she took secretly some silkworm eggs and put them into a little black silk bag, and hid them in her hair. She knew that the price of these little eggs was as high as that of all her jewels taken together or even more.

10. As soon as the bride, reached her new home she could explain how silk was made, and when the Persian weavers learned the secret they made use of it. When one thinks of this Chinese girl dressed in silk, journeying across Asia with something hidden in the masses of her black hair the story of silk seems to be very romantic.

Exercise 12. Answer the questions:

1. Where and when did silk culture have its beginning?

2. When was the production of silk introduced in Korea and Japan?

3. What countries did silk production spread with time?

4. Did the Chinese government try to keep all silk production to itself?