Silk History

The history of silk production is long and legendary. In fact legend has it that a Chinese princess over 5,000 years ago discovered how to unravel silk when a cocoon dropped into her hot cup of tea. (Cocoons are immersed in hot water in order to remove the sort of glue produced by the insect that holds the cocoon together.)

Silk has been produced for over 5,000 years. It originated in China, and the Chinese successfully guarded the secret of producing silk for several thousand years. Eventually the knowledge spread, probably being passed along the silk road, a trade route ran from China to the Mediterranean and then beyond via ships.

People started following the silk road some 4,000 years ago. Very few people traversed its entire length, with the notable exception of Marco Polo (1256-1323), the famous explorer. Polo noticed silk in many of the fairs and bazaars he saw while traveling through what is today the Middle East, Iran, Uzbekistan, and elsewhere. Thus silk production was clearly widespread in the middle ages of our era.

The secret to silk production is to have both silkworms and mulberry trees, preferably the white mulberry, which is the only food the silkworms, or more accurately, caterpillars, will eat. When the caterpillars are fully grown they produce a cocoon by extruding silk from their bodies. The extrusion starts as a liquid and then solidifies after contacting air. The purpose of the cocoon is to protect the pupa, which will eventually turn into a moth, although only enough moths are allowed to develop to support the next generation of silk worms.

The cocoons are remarkable in that they are made from just one long, thin, strand of silk, and it takes know-how to unravel the single strand, which is normally about 400-500 meters in length. The strands, or threads, are eventually woven into cloth. Clothing is of course the main product made from silk, however other products have also been produced. These include ropes and such things as parachutes and maps in WWII.

In the 15th century silk production came to France, and eventually the city of Lyon (pronounced lee on), now the third largest city in France and a great place to visit, became the center of European silk production. Lyon still has an important silk museum. By 1544 about 12 thousand people were involved in silk production there, according to Dr. John Falkwell in his book “The Story of Silk”. The industry progressed steadily, and in the 1880’s there were 200,000 people employed in Lyon, a remarkable number.

With an eye on the success of the silk industry in France, King James I of England made a major effort in the 17th century to establish a silk industry both in England and in the colonies at the time (i.e., the U.S. today). These efforts never really took hold in the long term, and the silk industry in those places never came close to the level achieved in France.

Silk production is a very labor intensive effort, and in the early 20th century a combination of labor strife, and especially the invention of synthetic fabrics like rayon and nylon, largely led to the demise of the silk industry in Europe. What remains are little cottage industries here and there, as in several parts of England. The top producing country today is once again China. India also produces a lot of silk, and they are the leading producers of wild silks, that is, silk produced from wild caterpillars, in particular tussah silk, from the silk moth of the same name.

Two other developments also helped promote sericulture. The invention of the Jacquard loom in 1801 allowed much traditional handweaving to be mechanized, which increased the need for all fibers being used for thread, including silk. Also, Louis Pasteur's discovery in 1870 of a method to identify the presence of pebrine disease in silk moths helped put an end to that epidemic, which was seriously affecting the moth population.

The repeated Mongol invasions certainly affected the fortunes of some northwestern cities, but on the whole the period was marked by a flourishing urban economy and corresponding expansion in craft production and commerce. Advancements in the textile industry included the introduction of the wooden cotton gin and the spinning wheel and, reportedly, of the treadle loom and sericulture (the raising of silkworms).

Today the leading position in the production of silk has reverted to its originator—China. And the second largest producer is Japan. India, leads the world in the production of tussah silk.

Sericulture is still mostly a cottage industry. It is hard to mechanize something that is actually a form of animal husbandry. So it is unlikely that silk will ever be as inexpensive as commonplace as fibers which can be grown and processed more cheaply—like wool or cotton. But this may only serve to increase the appreciation of this beautiful luxury fiber.

It is amazing that one of the world’s most desired fabrics comes from the secretions of a caterpillar. Even more remarkable is the significant role this fabric has played in the world’s economy for over 5,000 years.