Based on their findings, archaeologists estimate that the domestication of silkworms and silk-making started 5,000-6,000 years ago in the mid-Neolithic Age in China. In 1958,archaeologists unearthed some 4,750-year-old pieces, brands and threads of silk at Qian Shan Yang ruins of Huzhou, Zhejiang Province .They were determined by experts to be made from domesticated silkworms and were the first silk fabrics ever discovered in China as well as the world.
China is the first country in the world to reel and make silk. The advent of silk gradually made silkworm breeding and silk weaving an essential and highly creative part of handicraft in ancient China, and its rise led to a new era in the Chinese garment civilization, and left huge impact on Chinese ancient traditions and aesthetic preferences.
Take the brocade for instance, the blend of excellent fabrics and designs, brought out a piece of art instead of merely some high-end clothing material. As a result, it greatly enhanced silk`s lasting cultural content and historical value.
As a school child ,I learnt that 18,000 years ago cave men in Zhou Kou Dian ,Beijing were able to use needles of bones of antlers or other animals, and threads from animals` sinews and skins for winter clothing and that 5000 years ago our ancestors had already learnt to use silkworms to make decent fabrics. The process was long, nevertheless remarkable.
