The Legend of silk

Chinese legend attributes the discovery of silk to Lady Xi Ling, a wife of the Emperor Shin Huang-Ti. Lady Xi Ling began to unreel a silk cocoon which fell from a mulberry tree into her hot tea water.

I enjoy sharing this legend of silk. I think certainly portions of this romantic narrative have a factual basis. The mulberry tree is the natural food for a variety of silkworms. Mulberry branches would have been the chosen place for cocoon production. And silk cocoons do require hot water to soften the fibers for processing. Read more