Chapter 38 Section 4 Silk and the Silk Road

Silk is also a great invention of China.In ancient legends, there is a story about Lei [lei Lei] Zu, the daughter of Xiling, the concubine of the Yellow Emperor, who domesticated and domesticated wild silkworms and taught people how to raise them.This reflects that China has already carried out silk weaving production very early.The earliest silk fabrics discovered so far are a section of ribbon and a small piece of silk unearthed from the Qianshanyang Neolithic site in Wuxing, Zhejiang. There are also signs of sericulture and silk fabrics found in the Hemudu site.Luxurious and comfortable silk has been valued by the rich and powerful.China has long been able to weave fine silk.The silk fabrics unearthed from the Mawangdui Han Tomb are still admired by people for their superb craftsmanship.By the Tang and Song Dynasties, silk weaving technology had reached a level of proficiency.The variety and quantity of silk fabrics have increased significantly than before.

An important feature of silk weaving in the Tang Dynasty was the mass production of weft brocade and floral yarn.The so-called weft brocade refers to brocade fabrics that show flowers with weft threads. Compared with brocade that shows flowers with warp threads, it is less restricted by the loom, and it enhances the color of the fabric and enriches the content of the fabric pattern.Floral yarn is made by printing and dyeing patterns on the yarn base. In addition to inheriting and developing the silk fabrics of the past, the Song Dynasty was also famous for Kesi (keke) silk.Kesi, also known as Kesi, is a unique handicraft product in my country.Its characteristic is to transplant painting or calligraphy art onto silk fabrics, which not only maintains the image and style of the original works, but also has the delicate and delicate characteristics of silk fabrics.After weaving, painting and calligraphy are like engraving on silk fabrics, which has extremely high artistic value.

Chinese silk fabrics have been spread abroad very early and are famous all over the world.Many countries in history called China the Silk Country.Silk from before the 5th century BC has been found in Europe, indicating that Chinese silk had entered Europe at that time.Both ancient Egypt and Rome regarded Chinese silk as a treasure that is "dazzling and ingenious".Julius Caesar in ancient Rome once wore a Chinese silk robe to watch a play in the theater, which caused a sensation in the audience and was regarded as a peerless luxury.Around BC, due to the large amount of silk imported, there was a large outflow of Roman currency. Tiberius, the ruler of the Roman Empire, tried to prohibit the Romans from wearing silk fabrics, but failed.In Han Dynasty, in order to monopolize the silk trade, the Iranians and Arabs even tried every means to obstruct the direct communication between China and the Roman Empire.

Since the trade of silk occupies a large part in the communication between China and foreign countries, the channels of communication between China and foreign countries, including land and sea routes, are now generally referred to as the Silk Road.