World Ark Magazine - March/April 2008 - (Page 20) Zeng Xiangbai sorts silkworms inside her house in Zhi Yuan village. Zeng, who works with her husband to produce silk, says, “We always go out to cut grass together and life is hopeful for us.” The Silkworm In Chinese History The silkworm spins its filament throughout Chinese history. The story of silk’s discovery 5,000 years ago is an important national narrative, much like our own story of Benjamin Franklin discovering electricity. The secrets of silk production were closely guarded by the Chinese, and for centuries they had a worldwide monopoly on silk production and trade. China’s economic dominance stretched as far away as western Europe. But as China’s silk secrets slowly leaked to their neighbors in India, Korea, Japan and later to Europe, China’s dominance faded. Silk, too, lost its position as queen of fibers as cotton became king during the Industrial Revolution. Later, synthetic silks like nylon and rayon became cheap to make. But today silk is making a comeback, and China has once again reclaimed its role as the world’s largest silk producer. 20 March/April 2008 | WORLD ARK www.heifer.org http://www.heifer.org
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.