Silk had played central part in many of the trades done between China and the ancient world. Due to high demand, silk had become the staple product for most international trade. Traces of trading associated with silk had been found to run in history dating as far back as 3000 years BC. Though there are indications that silk had existed in China 1000 years earlier. One evidence that testifies to the antiquity of the silk cloth trading is the pieces of silk cloth found in 1070 BC from an Egyptian mummy.
Lady Hsi-Ling-Shih is the Goddess of Silk for she first sponsored the cultivation of the silk worms. She was also credited for having introduced the loom. However, it is doubtful if she is beyond legend or not. Later in that period, mulberry trees were cultivated as food for the silk worms.
For over two thousand years, the knowledge of cultivating the silk worms and the production of the fibers were kept secret in China. This is done to keep the monopoly of silk cloth. In those years, exporting live silk worms is considered as a capital crime to further protect the secret of the precious silk cloth. However in 200 BCE, the art of silk culture was transported to Korea through the Chinese immigrants. And around 1oo year later, the art spread through Asia. Silkworms were eventually smuggled out of Asia to Greece, Middle East, India and North Africa. The trading route between this region was named the Silk Road.
Based on a popular legend, two Justinian monks were said to have successfully smuggled silk worm cocoons in their staffs. This incident revolutionized the sericulture as this marked the spread of sericulture to Greece and to neighboring regions. Southern Europe has adopted the silk culture and at around 6th or 7th century CE, sericulture industry has been practiced throughout Europe. Soon after, the larger regions of France, Portugal and Spain adopted the trade.
Venetian traders flourished much from silk cloth production and trading and even encouraged silk growers to establish sericulture in Italy. The practice became so extensive that in the 13th century, Italy became the silk capital of the European world.
Only in 1619 did the production of silk cloth came in America, brought by James I of England. However, too little recognition was given to the trade and the Shakers of Kentucky alone adopted the industry. But by the 1800s, European immigrants revived the industry and settled in Paterson, New Jersey. The city morphed into the America's silk capital yet the fame of Japanese silk cloth remained to be more substantial.
The World War II interrupted Japanese silk importation. And economy lowered dramatically that the merchants looked for silk substitutes. This led them to the production of synthetic silk fiber- the lyocell. The properties of which are hard to separate from that of the original silk cloth.
Sericulture or sericulture is a very long process and demands constant observation. The quality of silk produced would largely depend on the silkworm diet and the prevention of the silkworm from hatching. Chinese silk growers perfected both.
Changes in times were not able to contain the secrets of silk production to Chinese knowledge alone. They were forced to reveal the art to outside world like what occurred when the royalties first allowed the use of silk by the commoners.
Robert Thatcher is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides silk resources on [http://www.about-silk.info]
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