Silk industry in China

Last updated

The process of making silk from Sericulture by Liang Kai, Southern Song dynasty, c. 13th century Animated Sericulture The Process of Making Silk (Tian Zhi Tu ) by Liang Kai (Liang Kai ).gif
The process of making silk from Sericulture by Liang Kai, Southern Song dynasty, c. 13th century

China is the world's largest and earliest silk producer. The vast majority of Chinese silk originates from the mulberry silkworms ( Bombyx mori ). During the larval stage of its life cycle, the insects feed on the leaves of mulberry trees. Non-mulberry silkworm cocoon production in China primarily focuses on wild silk from the Chinese Tussah moth (Antheraea spp.). This moth typically feeds on trees (e.g. oaks) and its larvae spin coarser, flatter, yellower filament than the mulberry silkworms. [1]

Contents

History

Following World War II, the redevelopment of the silk industry was one of the few economic successes of China's Nationalist government under Chiang Kai-shek. [2] :116

In 2005, China accounted for 74 percent of the global raw silk production and 90 percent of the world export market. [3]

Industrial plans

Silk spinning mill, Suzhou, China Silk spinning mill, Suzhou, China.jpg
Silk spinning mill, Suzhou, China
Women weaving silk. Kashgar Women weaving silk. Kashgar.jpg
Women weaving silk. Kashgar

Local governments have and are continuing to introduce new facilities that are expected to bring in latest high-end silk manufacturing machinery that will elevate both the quality and the quantity of the silk being produced in China. It is estimated that it will render significant revenue increases as its new facilities bring increased production and distribution capabilities.

There are a number of material preferential benefits. These government incentives include such as land policy exemptions, tax breaks, project prioritization (priority in review and approval of applications), and Energy discounts (upon approval, company can receive discounts of fees related to water, electric, gas, etc.).Chinese silk, today also is sold the most in China only.


Geography

Different from the East coast of China, the silk industry has more emphasis on silk reprocessing, Western parts is more focused on raw silk production due to its natural weather and soil conditions, mostly in Chongqing and Yunnan areas. Also as the land cost and manpower cost is increasing on the east coast, business is shifting to the west. With the government's preferential policies, Chongqing's silk industry has seen some significant developments. It is thought that silk was exported along the Silk Road routes by 400BC or so.


Foreign investment

Foreign investment has helped develop the silk industry. Foreign investment has optimized the structure of local silk companies, and brought in new technology.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiang Kai-shek</span> Chinese politician and military leader (1887–1975)

Chiang Kai-shek was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and military leader. He was the head of the Nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) party, the Generalissimo of the National Revolutionary Army, and the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) in mainland China from 1928 until 1949. After being defeated in the Chinese Civil War by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1949, he led the ROC on the island of Taiwan until his death in 1975.

<i>Bombyx mori</i> Moth mainly used in the production of silk

The domestic silk moth is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of Bombyx mandarina, the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva of a silk moth. The silkworm is of particular economic value, being a primary producer of silk. The silkworm's preferred food are the leaves of white mulberry, though they may eat other species of mulberry, and even leaves of other plants like the osage orange. Domestic silk moths are entirely dependent on humans for reproduction, as a result of millennia of selective breeding. Wild silk moths are not as commercially viable in the production of silk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H. H. Kung</span> Chinese banker and politician (1880–1967)

Kung Hsiang-hsi, often known as Dr. H. H. Kung, also known as Dr. Chauncey Kung, was a Chinese banker and politician in the early 20th century. He married Soong Ai-ling, the eldest of the three Soong sisters; the other two married President Sun Yat-sen and President Chiang Kai-shek. Together with his brother-in-law, Soong Tse-ven, he was highly influential in determining the economic policies of the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government of the Republic of China in the 1930s and 1940s.

<i>Morus alba</i> Species of plant

Morus alba, known as white mulberry, common mulberry and silkworm mulberry, is a fast-growing, small to medium-sized mulberry tree which grows to 10–20 m (33–66 ft) tall. It is generally a short-lived tree with a lifespan comparable to that of humans, although there are some specimens known to be more than 250 years old. The species is native to China and India and is widely cultivated and naturalized elsewhere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sericulture</span> Process of silk production

Sericulture, or silk farming, is the cultivation of silkworms to produce silk. Silk worms are no longer found in the wild as they have been modified through selective breeding rendering most flightless and with atrophy. Although there are several commercial species of silkworms, the caterpillar of the domestic silkmoth is the most widely used and intensively studied silkworm. One kilogram of silk requires approximately 5,500 silk worms lives. Silk was believed to have first been produced in China as early as the Neolithic period. Sericulture has become an important cottage industry in countries such as Brazil, China, France, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, and Russia. Today, China and India are the two main producers, with more than 60% of the world's annual production.

The German Empire established diplomatic relations with the Republic of China in October 1913. After the creation of the Weimar Republic, Germany followed a policy of friendship towards China. Nazi Germany and the Nationalist government of the Republic of China maintained bilateral relations between 1933 and 1941. The Chinese Nationalists sought German military and economic support to help them consolidate control over factional warlords and resist Japanese imperialism. Germany sought raw materials such as tungsten and antimony from China. During the mid-1930s, thousands of Chinese soldiers were trained by German officers and German economic investment made its way into China. However, Joachim von Ribbentrop strongly favored an alliance with Japan over one with China, and starting with the 1936 Anti-Comintern Pact, Germany began to realign its East Asia policy. After Japan invaded China in 1937 and Ribbentrop became Foreign Minister the following year, German aid to China was cut off. In July 1941, Nazi Germany severed relations with Nationalist China and transferred their recognition to the Japanese-controlled Wang Jingwei regime. Nonetheless, China did not officially declare war on the Axis Powers until after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nationalist government</span> Government of the Republic of China between 1925 and 1948

The Nationalist government, officially the National Government of the Republic of China, refers to the government of the Republic of China from 1 July 1925 to 20 May 1948, led by the nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Yun</span> Chinese governor and warlord

Long Yun was governor and warlord of the Chinese province of Yunnan from 1927 to October 1945, when he was overthrown in a coup by Du Yuming under the order of Chiang Kai-shek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presidential Palace (Nanjing)</span> Museum and former presidential palace in Nanjing, China

The Presidential Palace in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China, housed the Office of the President of the Republic of China from 1927 until the capital was relocated to Taipei in 1949. It is now a museum called the China Modern History Museum. It is located at No.292 Changjiang Road, in the Xuanwu District of Nanjing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free China (Second Sino-Japanese War)</span> Areas of China not under the control of the invading Imperial Japanese Army

The term Free China, in the context of the Second Sino-Japanese War, refers to those areas of China not under the control of the Imperial Japanese Army or any of its puppet governments, such as Manchukuo, the Mengjiang government in Suiyuan and Chahar, or the Provisional Government of the Republic of China in Beiping. The term came into more frequent use after the Battle of Nanking, when Chiang Kai-shek evacuated the government of the Republic of China to Chongqing.

The Type Chiang Kai-shek rifle, also known as the Generalissimo rifle, and Type 24 (二四式), named after the Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, was a Chinese-made copy of the German Standardmodell rifle, the forerunner of the Karabiner 98k. Preproduction of the Chiang Kai-shek rifle started in 1935. It was designated the Type 79 by the Chinese Communists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of silk</span> History of silk production

The production of silk originated in Neolithic China within the Yangshao culture. Though it would later reach other places in the world, the art of silk production remained confined to China until the Silk Road opened at 114 BC. Even after trade opened, China maintained a virtual monopoly over silk production for another thousand years. The use of silk within China was not confined to clothing alone, and silk was used for a number of applications, such as writing. Within clothing, the color of silk worn also held social importance, and formed an important guide of social class during the Tang dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thai silk</span> Silk from the cocoons of Thai silkworms

Thai silk is produced from the cocoons of Thai silkworms. Thailand's silkworm farmers cultivate both types of the domesticated silkworms that produce commercial silk: Samia ricini, commonly known as the eri silkworm, which produces matte eri silk, and the Bombyx mori, producer of the better known, glossy mulberry silk. The latter is by far the larger silk producer of the two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wild silk</span>

Wild silks have been known and used in many countries from early times, although the scale of production is far smaller than that from cultivated silkworms. Silk cocoons and nests often resemble paper or cloth, and their use has arisen independently in many societies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economic history of China (1912–1949)</span>

After the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1912, China underwent a period of instability and disrupted economic activity. During the Nanjing decade (1927–1937), China advanced in a number of industrial sectors, in particular those related to the military, in an effort to catch up with the west and prepare for war with Japan. The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) and the following Chinese civil war caused the retreat of the Republic of China and formation of the People's Republic of China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese silk</span>

Japanese silk is silk harvested in Japan. Archaeological evidence indicates that sericulture has been practiced since the Yayoi period. The silk industry was dominant from the 1930s to 1950s, but is less common now.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic of China (1912–1949)</span> Republic of China prior to move to Taiwan

The Republic of China (ROC), or simply China, was a sovereign state based on mainland China from 1912 to 1949 prior to the government's relocation to Taiwan, where it continues to be based today. The ROC was established on 1 January 1912 during the Xinhai Revolution against the Qing dynasty, ending the imperial history of China. The Republican government was ruled by the Kuomintang (KMT) as a one-party state based in Nanjing from 1927, until its flight to Taipei on 7 December 1949 following the KMT's de facto defeat by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the Chinese Civil War. The CCP proclaimed the People's Republic of China on 1 October 1949, while the ROC retains control over the "Free Area", with the political status of Taiwan remaining in dispute to this day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat silk</span> Silk from the cocoons of domesticated Bombyx mori from Assam, India

Pat silk or White pat silk, Mulberry silk of Assam is a variety of domestic silk in Assam, India. It is usually brilliant white or off-white in colour. Its cloth can dry in shadow. The larvae of the Pat Silkworm's preferred food is nuni leaves. The silk has a natural white tint and is known for its durability and glossy texture. Pat silk, like other Assam silks, is used in products like mekhelas, chadars and other textiles.

The silk industry in Azerbaijan has existed since ancient times. Shirvan was the largest silk farming region there. The population in Shamakhi, Basqal, Ganja, Shaki and Shusha engaged in silk production. Patterned, ornamental silk female kerchiefs were produced in these regions. Silk production was one of the main activities continued into modern times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arafune-Azumaya Cold Storage Facilities</span> Building in Gunma Prefecture, Japan

Arafune-Azumaya Cold Storage Facilities are natural refrigerators used in silkworm production in association with the Tomioka Silk Mill in the towns of Shimonita and Nakanojō, Gunma Prefecture Japan. They are jointly designated as a National Historic Site and, together with the Tomioka Silk Mill, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the serial nomination Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites

References

  1. Puette, Loren. "ChinaAg: Silk Production" . Retrieved 30 October 2013.
  2. Coble, Parks M. (2023). The Collapse of Nationalist China: How Chiang Kai-shek Lost China's Civil War. Cambridge New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-1-009-29761-5.
  3. Ministry of Commerce Statistics