Illustration^by:Kevin^ McGivernSILK WEAVER
China
c.3000 BCE – present
Anatomy
CREATING SILK
Weavers would unwind
the cocoons after the silk
fibres had been loosened,
then combine several of the
fibres to form silk threads
that were strong enough to
weave. The threads were
then woven into a cloth.ORIGIN OF
SERICULTURE
Leizu was a legendary
Chinese empress and wife
of the Yellow Emperor.
According to Chinese
tradition, she supposedly
discovered silk after a
silkworm cocoon fell into
her tea and unravelled. Leizu
began rearing silkworms,
and it’s also said that she
invented the silk loom.WOMEN’S WORK
In ancient China, as well as weaving it was
women who were responsible for silk farming,
taking care of the silkworms and feeding them
mulberry leaves. This slowly began to change
during the Song Dynasty, when the Chinese
economy became more commercialised.SOFTENING
THE SILK
After the silk threads
were woven into a
cloth, the silk cloth
was very stiff. To
make the fabric soft
enough to wear, the
cloth would be laid
out on a block and
pounded repeatedly
with a wooden club.SILK
CULTIVATION
The Chinese bred
silkworms and fed
them mulberry
leaves to produce
silk. The cocoons
would be laid out on
trays and steamed
to kill the moths
inside, then rinsed
with boiling water to
loosen the silk fibres.STATUS
SYMBOL
Silk was once a
luxurious material
reserved only for
the most powerful
members of society,
such as the emperor
and his family. These
restrictions were
gradually lifted, and
more people were
permitted to wear silk
if they could afford it.