This is the very first step to the process of making your own Chinese lantern. Starting with silk worms, which aren't actually worms, and ending with luscious fabric, the photos illustrate the proceedure in 6 steps. Learn about Si Ling-Chi and her role in inventing silk-making. Don’t have one? Designboom has a fascinating pictorial of the traditional silk making process of the craftspeople in a small village in north-east Tailand. This monk had been living in China for several years and knew the method of raising silkworms. Transcript of 6 Steps to Make Silk. The ancient Chinese bred special moths to produce the quality silk. Batches of moths are kept in … Cai Lun, inventor of paper. Top Modern Silk Producing Regions Silk is mainly produced in the south of the Yangtze River Delta. One day, an Indian monk came to visit the Emperor. Silk Production Process in Ancient China According to the ancient written sources mulberries were usually planted in deserts, field boundaries, in front of the houses. Early silk in China. However, this fabric tears easily. Not wasted, in many places the leftover dead silkworms are seasoned, boiled, fried and eaten. China maintained its virtual monopoly over silk production for another thousand years. The Silk Road may have formally opened up trade between the Far East and Europe during the Han Dynasty, which ruled China from 206 B.C. Of all Chinese inventions, silk (絲 sī) is perhaps the oldest. Called the Goddess of the Silkworm, Si-Ling apparently raised silkworms and designed a loom for making silk fabrics. Before its invention, bones, tortoise shells, and bamboo slips were all used as writing surfaces, but as Chinese civilization developed they proved themselves unsuitable because of their bulk and weight. So, you’ll be able to bring that one! Now they all turned to silk. Step 6: Discuss the fact that silk making was hard work and as a result, silk … Chinese philosophers Lu Ban and Mozi documented the first kite in ancient China in the fifth century BC. China silk, also called “plain silk,” is the least expensive of the silks, and is lightweight and shiny. 6 Steps to Make Silk Step 1: The first thing you need to do when making silk is gathering the silk worms. It’s said that until the second century B.C., silk remained an article known only to the Chinese. You can also bring your own! Crepe de Chine is made by twisting some fibers clockwise and others counterclockwise before weaving, producing a fabric with a pebbly texture and the fabric is lightweight and does not ravel easily like other silks. in water, and beat and grind them to a slurry. Today, China still leads the world in silk production, responsible for about 58,000 tons each year or about 74% of the world’s supply of raw silk. Third, worms spin cocoons. Designboom has a fascinating pictorial of the traditional silk making process of the craftspeople in a small village in north-east Tailand. The oldest silk found in China has been dated to about 3630 BC, which means that it is from the Chinese Neolithic period. But their traditional methods have changed little in the last 5,000 years. Chinese silk: a riot of colors. Step 4: After students have unwound the silk filament, take three or four cocoons and demonstrate how several filaments are twisted together to make silk thread.