CATDOLL : CATDOLL: What kind of cultural heritage is silkworm breeding and silk reeling? (What kind of cultural heritage is silkworm breeding and silk reeling?)

1. What information is there about the history of silkworm rearing and silk reeling in my country?

my country is the first country in the world to raise silkworms, reel silk and weave silk. The ancient Greeks and Romans called my country "Seres", which means "Silk Country". The Roman slave owners regarded the silk shipped from my country as the most precious treasure, but until the fifth century, they did not know that silk was spit out from the mouths of silkworms.

3000 BC - Legend has it that in 3000 BC, Leizu, the wife of Emperor Huang, invented the method of "raising silkworms and processing silk" and used silk as a raw material for textiles. This shows that the application of silk in my country has a very long history. It is recognized worldwide that my country was the first to invent raising silkworms and processing silk. Europe calls my country the "Silk Country".

2. What does the discovery made by Chinese archaeologist Li Ji in Xia County, Shanxi in 1926 mean?

Half of an artificially cut carbonized silk cocoon discovered by Li Ji, the father of Chinese archaeology, in Xiyin Village, Xia County in 1926.

It is said that Xia County was the place where Leizu, the wife of Emperor Huangdi, taught people to raise silkworms. The carbonized cocoons found here mean that the ancestors of the Dongzhuang type in the early Yangshao period may have mastered the techniques of raising silkworms and reeling silk, which adds evidence to the legend of "Leizu raising silkworms" and also provides important clues for the study of issues such as the origin and spread of silk.

3. Who invented sericulture and silk production?

Huangdi had four concubines: the principal wife was a daughter of Xiling, named Nut. The Records of the Grand Historian states: "Huangdi married the daughter of Xiling, Luozu, the principal wife of Huangdi". Luozu invented the cultivation of mulberry trees, raising silkworms, spinning silk, weaving silk into silk, and sewing silk into clothes. Later generations called her "the first silkworm lady". There is a site of Luozu raising silkworms in Huangling County.

4. Which country in the world was the first to raise silkworms and reel silk?

China is the first country in the world to raise silkworms and reel silk. As an important carrier of Chinese civilization, silk has played an important role in world history. The earliest silk in China was discovered in Zhengzhou, Henan Province. The origin of Chinese silk may be in the Yangshao culture period.

According to records, Huangdi's wife Leizu "began to teach people to raise silkworms and process silk cocoons for clothing, and the world was free from the problem of chapped silkworms. Later generations worshipped her as the first silkworm". Archaeological discoveries show that silk protein may have appeared in China during the Peiligang culture period. The pointed-bottom bottles and some pottery jars unearthed in the Yangshao culture site are decorated with thread patterns on the surface, and traces of cloth were found on the bottom of some objects, indicating that textile technology was relatively developed in the middle Neolithic period or even earlier. The Luo fabric unearthed from the Qingtai site in Xingyang, Henan (5300-5500 years ago) in the Yellow River Basin is the earliest silk fabric discovered in China so far. The silk pieces and ribbons unearthed from Qianshanyang, Huzhou, Zhejiang (4200 years ago) are the earliest and most complete silk fabrics unearthed in the Yangtze River Basin.

5. What does Leizu's silk reeling mean?

Leizu silk reeling means the process of Leizu making raw silk from silk cocoons.

The process of extracting silk from silk cocoons is generally called silk reeling. The original method of reeling silk is to soak the cocoons in hot water, reel out the silk by hand, and wind it on a silk basket. The basin and basket are the original reeling utensils.

2. The Han working people invented the techniques of raising silkworms, reeling silk, weaving silk and embroidery. The inventions in this area should be attributed to the women of the Han nationality. Legend has it that Leizu, the wife of the Yellow Emperor and the daughter of Xiling clan, taught people to raise silkworms and process silk cocoons to make clothes. Spinning wheels used for spinning silk and hemp have been unearthed in the Yangshao culture sites dating back about 7,000 to 5,000 years. The spinning wheel was invented in the Han Dynasty. It was originally used for reeling silk and winding thread, and later for spinning cotton. It was introduced to Europe in the 13th century.

6. Approximately how many years ago did my country invent sericulture and silk reeling during the Han Dynasty?

The legendary Yellow Emperor era was about a thousand years earlier than Dayu period (this is the farthest estimate). Dayu established the Xia Dynasty around 2070 BC. We can calculate that the Yellow Emperor period was at most around 3200 BC (equivalent to the middle period of Longshan culture). If the Western Han Dynasty is calculated according to the era of Emperor Wu of Han (141 BC-87 BC), it would be more than three thousand years old.

7. Which country in the world was the first to raise silkworms, reel silk and weave silk?

China is the first country in the world to domesticate silkworms and reel and weave silk. As one of the important origins of Chinese civilization, the origin of silk has always been a topic of concern for researchers.

According to ancient legends, it was Huangdi's wife Leizu who invented sericulture. Historical records state that "Leizu, the daughter of Xiling clan, was Huangdi's first wife. She processed silk cocoons to make clothes and was worshipped as the first silkworm in later generations." The Luo fabric unearthed in Qingtai Village, Xingyang, Henan Province is the earliest silk fabric found in the Yellow River Basin, dating back 5,300 to 5,500 years. The silk pieces and ribbons unearthed in Qianshanyang, Huzhou, Zhejiang Province are the earliest and most complete silk fabrics unearthed in the Yangtze River Basin, dating back 4,200 years to the Neolithic Age.