Chinese Silk

As long ago as the Neolithic Age (c. 12,000-2000 BC), the primitive ancestors of the Chinese had invented flat-weaving and figured-weaving techniques, and were tinting cloth using natural (red pigment) vermilion dye. With improvements in looming devices and printing and dyeing methods, more varieties of silk were developed and a comprehensive system of cloth dying evolved. China possessed the most advanced silk dying and weaving techniques of the ancient world. The cultivation of the silkworm can be traced back to the third century BC. It was said that the demigod Leizu, a legendary figure of prehistoric China, was the first to plant mulberries and raise silkworms. The business of raising silkworms and unwinding cocoons is known as silk culture or sericulture.

During the Zhou Dynasty (11th century-256BC), a special administration was set up to manage sericulture and silk production. The famous Silk Road to the Middle East and Europe started under Zhang Qian. Under imperial order, he started his diplomatic mission to the West from 138 BC to 126 BC. Gradually, sericulture and silk production techniques spread to other countries. Chinese silk was highly prized among the wealthy of the ancient Roman Empire. Today, Chinese silk still enjoys its reputation for high quality throughout the world.

The making of silk generally refers to the process of dividing raw silk from cocoons into strands horizontally and vertically, before weaving them together into pieces of fabric.

The actual manufacture processes of various silks vary, but can be generally categorized into two types: sheng zhi and shu zi.

In the sheng zhi process, weavers weave the raw silk into fabrics first, and then scour (clean) and bleach the fabrics. This process, which has lower costs and a shorter process, is currently the major way of making silk.

In the shu zhi method, weavers scour and bleach the longitude and latitude silks from cocoons first before actually weaving them. The woven products no longer need further processing and can be directly used. The method is usually used to produce advanced silk fabrics like brocade.

An interesting fact is that about 1,000 meters of silk can be unwound from one cocoon, while 111 cocoons are needed for a man's tie, and 630 cocoons are needed for a woman's blouse.

The Four Renowned Embroideries of China are regional in their origin: Su embroidery originated from East China's Jiangsu Province; Yue embroidery originated from South China's Guangdong Province; Xiang embroidery originated from Central China's Hunan Province; and Shu embroidery originated from Southwest China's Sichuan Province.