The Silk
丝绸
The silk is the symbol of the anaent Chinese culture and the old silk in-dustry formed one of the glorious chapters in the history of the Chinese culture, making an indelible con-tribution to the development of the world cMlization. The Chinese silk is known throughout the world for its excellent qualities, exquisite colors and rich cultural connota-tions. Several thousand years ago, when the silk trade first reached Europe via the Silk Road,it brought with it not only the gor-geous silk apparel and decorcrtive items, but also the anaent and resplendent Oriental cMlization.From then on, silk was regarded as the emissary and symbol of the Oriental cMlization. The eadiest silk article discovered to date is approximately 4700 years old, un-earthed from a tomb dating from China’s Liangzhu Culture. According to an ancient Chinese legend, the Silkworm Goddess appeared to the Yellow Emperor, the leg-endary ancestor of the Chinese people, after he vanquished his adversary Chi You.She presented him with silk fibers spun from her own mouth as a sign of respect.The Yellow Emperor ordered the fibers woven into cloth and made into the silk ap-parel, which he found exceedingly soft and comfortable. His wife Lei Zu searched until she found a type of caterpillar capable of spinning silk fibers from its mouth.She raised these silkworms by feeding them mulberry leaves she picked herself.Later generations came to worship Lei Zu as the Silkworm Goddess, and the Yellow Emperor as the God of Weaving. Sericulture, including cultivating the mulberry plant, raising silkworms, and producing silk fabric, was a fundamental form of la-bor throughout thousands of years in ancient China. China is the birthplace of seri-culture. Raising silkworms and reeling the silk from their cocoons was ancient China’s greatest achievement in the utilization of natural fibers.
丝绸是中国古老文化的象征,中国古老的丝绸业为中华民族文化织绣了光辉的篇章，对促进世界人类文明的发展作出了不可磨灭的贡献。中国丝绸以其卓越的品质、精美的花色和丰富的文化内涵闻名于世。几千年前，当丝绸沿着古丝绸之路传向欧洲，它所带去的，不仅仅是一件件华美的服饰、饰品，更是东方古老灿烂的文明。丝绸从那时起，几乎就成为了东方文明的传播者和象征。目前已知的最早丝织物，是出土于距今约4700年良诸文化的遗址。关于丝绸中国有一个悠远的传说：远古时代，黄帝打败了蚩尤，“蚕神”亲自将她吐的丝奉献出来以示敬意。黄帝命人将丝织成了绢，以绢缝衣，穿着异常舒服。黄帝之妻嫘祖便去寻找能吐丝的蚕种，采桑饲蚕。后世民间崇奉嫘祖为养蚕的蚕神，黄帝为织丝的机神。采桑养蚕与制丝织绸，便成了中国古代社会几千年的基本劳作手段。中国是养蚕业的发源地，养蚕，缫丝是我国古代在纤维利用上最重要的成就。