WinterSilks Home Page
1-888-782-2224   Home  |  My Account  |  LIVE HELP  |  Shopping Bag (0 items)
 
Silk Long Underwear Ladies Men New Summer Moms, Dads and Grads
  
New for Summer
Moms, Dads, and Grads
Silk Long Underwear
Silk for Ladies
Silk for Men
Silk Accessories
Premiere Silk Shop:
Online Exclusives

New Naturals
Collections
Silk du Jour
Mix and Match Deals
Bestsellers on Sale
Bonus Sale!
Clearance
Silk Legend and the History of Silk

Circa 2700 B.C.

According to Chinese legend, the history of silk begins about 5,000 years ago in the garden of Emperor Huang-Ti. The emperor ordered his wife Hsi-Ling-Shi to investigate what was eating the leaves on his mulberry trees.

She found white worms that spin shiny cocoons. She accidentally dropped one of these cocoons into her hot tea—or so goes the story—and a delicate filament separated itself. She drew it out, unwinding a long single strand.

Hsi-Ling-Shi had discovered silk.

She persuaded the emperor to give her a grove of mulberry trees where she could grow thousands of worms that spin these beautiful cocoons. Hsi-Ling-Shi is also credited in Chinese lore with inventing the silk reel, which turns the silk filament into thread.

No one knows if this is truly the history of silk, but the record is clear that silk was first used in China.

The Chinese closely guarded how silk was made. Death was the penalty promised to anyone who disclosed the secret to the rest of the world. As a result, for about 3000 years, only the Chinese knew how to make silk.

 Back
Back to Top

  Catalog Quick Order |  Snowflake Guide |  Silk Care |  Silk Fabrics & Terms |  Why Silk? |  Silk Quarterly |  Gift Cards |  E-mail Sign-up

Contact Us |  Customer Service |  Request A Catalog |  Size Info |  Shipping Rates |  About WinterSilks |  Origin Silk |  Privacy & Security
  © 2008 WinterSilks, LLC. - 11711 Marco Beach Drive - Jacksonville, FL 32224 - 1-888-782-2224 . WinterSilks