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Civilization Object No. 046
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Sericulture and Silk Craftsmanship

中国蚕桑丝织技艺

The 5,000-year-old process of cultivating silkworms and weaving silk — a Chinese invention that changed the world through the Silk Road.

dna Heritage DNA
history Origin

Neolithic period, Yangshao culture (c. 3000 BCE)

category Domain

traditional crafts

verified Level

UNESCO Intangible Heritage

pin_drop Region

East China

pulse Status

active

Sericulture — the cultivation of silkworms for silk production — originated in China over 5,000 years ago and remained a closely guarded secret for millennia. The process involves mulberry leaf cultivation, silkworm rearing, cocoon harvesting, silk reeling, dyeing, and weaving. Silk craftsmanship encompasses a vast repertoire of weaving, embroidery, and dyeing techniques that have shaped global fashion and trade.

auto_stories

Stories & Legends

Silk: The Thread That Connected Civilizations

historical

The humble silkworm created the world's first global trade network.

build

Skills & Techniques

Silk Reeling and Weaving expand_more

The traditional process of cultivating silkworms, harvesting cocoons, reeling silk filaments, and weaving them into fabric on hand-operated looms.

Steps

  1. Cultivate mulberry trees and raise silkworms on fresh leaves
  2. Harvest cocoons and sort by quality
  3. Boil cocoons to soften sericin and reel silk filaments
  4. Twist filaments into thread and dye with natural pigments
  5. Set up a handloom with warp threads
  6. Weave the weft thread through the warp to create fabric

Tools

reeling frame, dye vat, handloom, shuttle, bobbins, scales

Materials

silkworm cocoons, mulberry leaves, natural dyes (indigo, madder, gardenia)

hub Knowledge Graph

Relationship Constellation

This heritage item connects to 8 entities across the atlas — masters, places, festivals, and stories.

pin_drop Zhejiang Province location pin_drop Hangzhou location build Silk Reeling and Weaving skill person Nanjing Yunjin Brocade ich person Suzhou Embroidery ich auto_stories Silk: The Thread That Connected Civilizations story person Jiangnan region person Traditional Li Textile Techniques ich
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