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The Story of Silk - Reading Passage
1. The Story Of Silk The history of the world’s most luxurious fabric, from ancient China to the
present day Silk is a fine, smooth material produced from the cocoons – soft protective shells –
that are made by mulberry silkworms (insect larvae). Legend has it that it was Lei Tzu, wife of
the Yellow Emperor, ruler of China in about 3000 BC, who discovered silkworms. One account
of the story goes that as she was taking a walk in her husband’s gardens, she discovered that
silkworms were responsible for the destruction of several mulberry trees. She collected a
number of cocoons and sat down to have a rest. It just so happened that while she was sipping
some tea, one of the cocoons that she had collected landed in the hot tea and started to unravel
into a fine thread. Lei Tzu found that she could wind this thread around her fingers.
Subsequently, she persuaded her husband to allow her to rear silkworms on a grove of mulberry
trees. She also devised a special reel to draw the fibres from the cocoon into a single thread so
that they would be strong enough to be woven into fabric. While it is unknown just how much of
this is true, it is certainly known that silk cultivation has existed in China for several millennia.
2. Originally, silkworm farming was solely restricted to women, and it was they who were
responsible for the growing, harvesting and weaving. Silk quickly grew into a symbol of status,
and originally, only royalty were entitled to have clothes made of silk. The rules were gradually
relaxed over the years until finally during the Qing Dynasty (1644 — 1911 AD), even peasants,
the lowest caste, were also entitled to wear silk. Sometime during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220
AD), silk was so prized that it was also used as a unit of currency. Government officials were
paid their salary in silk, and farmers paid their taxes in grain and silk. Silk was also used as
diplomatic gifts by the emperor. Fishing lines, bowstrings, musical instruments and paper were
all made using silk. The earliest indication of silk paper being used was discovered in the tomb
of a noble who is estimated to have died around 168 AD.
3. Demand for this exotic fabric eventually created the lucrative trade route now known as the
Silk Road, taking silk westward and bringing gold, silver and wool to the East. It was named the
Silk Road after its most precious commodity, which was considered to be worth more than gold.
The Silk Road stretched over 6,000 kilometres from Eastern China to the Mediterranean Sea,
following the Great Wall of China, climbing the Pamir mountain range, crossing modern-day
Afghanistan and going on to the Middle East, with a major trading market in Damascus. From
there, the merchandise was shipped across the Mediterranean Sea. Few merchants travelled
the entire route; goods were handled mostly by a series of middlemen.
4. With the mulberry silkworm being native to China, the country was the world’s sole producer
of silk for many hundreds of years. The secret of silk-making eventually reached the rest of the
world via the Byzantine Empire, which ruled over the Mediterranean region of southern Europe,
North Africa and the Middle East during the period 330 — 1453 AD. According to another
legend, monks working for the Byzantine emperor Justinian smuggled silkworm eggs to
Constantinople (Istanbul in modern-day Turkey) in 550 AD, concealed inside hollow bamboo
walking canes. The Byzantines were as secretive as the Chinese, however, and for many
centuries the weaving and trading of silk fabric was a strict imperial monopoly. Then in the
seventh century, the Arabs conquered Persia, capturing their magnificent silks in the process.
5. Silk production thus spread through Africa, Sicily and Spain as the Arabs swept, through
these lands. Andalusia in southern Spain was Europe’s main silk-producing centre in the tenth
century. By the thirteenth century, however, Italy had become Europe’s leader in silk production
and export. Venetian merchants traded extensively in silk and encouraged silk growers to settle
in Italy. Even now, silk processed in the province of Como in northern Italy enjoys an esteemed
reputation.
6. The nineteenth century and industrialization saw the downfall of the European silk industry.
The cheaper Japanese silk, trade in which was greatly facilitated by the opening of the Suez
Canal, was one of the many factors driving the trend. Then in the twentieth century, new
man-made fibers, such as nylon, started to be used in what had traditionally been silk products,
such as stockings and parachutes. The two world wars, which interrupted the supply of raw
materials from Japan, also stifled the European silk industry. After the Second World War,
Japan’s silk production was restored, with improved production and quality of raw silk. Japan
was to remain the world’s biggest producer of raw silk, and practically the only major exporter of
raw silk, until the 1970s. However, in more recent decades, China has gradually recaptured its
position as the world’s biggest producer and exporter of raw silk and silk yarn. Today, around
125,000 metric tons of silk are produced in the world, and almost two-thirds of that production
takes place in China.
Questions for Reading Passage: The Story Of SilkQuestions 1-9
Early Silk Production in China
Around 3000 BC, according to legend:
– silkworm cocoon fell into the emperor’s wife’s 1 ………………..
– emperor’s wife invented a 2 ……………….. to pull out silk fibres
Only 3 ……………….. were allowed to produce silkOnly 4 ……………….. were allowed to wear
silkSilk used as a form of 5 ………………..
– e.g. farmers’ taxes consisted partly of silk
Silk is used for many purposes
– e.g. evidence found of 6 ……………….. made from silk around 168 AD
Silk Reaches the Rest of the World
Merchants used the Silk Road to take silk westward and bring back 7 ……………….. and
precious metals550 AD: 8 ……………….. hide silkworm eggs in canes and take them to
ConstantinopleSilk production spreads across the Middle East and Europe20th century: 9
……………….. and other man-made fibers cause a decline in silkQuestions 10-13
10. Gold was the most valuable material transported along the Silk Road.
11. Most tradesmen only went along certain sections of the Silk Road.
12. The Byzantines spread the practice of silk production across the West.
13. Silk yarn makes up the majority of silk currently exported from China.
