Silk
Silk is an important symbol of traditional Chinese culture. The fabric, which can be made from natural silk or synthetic fibers, boasts distinct features including a soft luster, a comfortable texture, and excellent moisture regain and release properties.
China is the birthplace of silk. The ancient Chinese are credited with bringing this material to the world and putting it into mass production. Based on archaeological discoveries and assumptions, it is believed that the Chinese started to cultivate silkworms and weave silk around 5,000 to 6,000 years ago, during the middle of the Neolithic period. According to legend, Leizu, the wife of Huangdi (the Yellow Emperor), discovered the technique of raising silkworms and weaving silk fabric over 4,000 years ago. China's dominance in silk production tech- nology continued until the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. - A.D. 220), cementing the place of silk as a crucial symbol of Chinese civilization. Export of Chinese silk in large quantities started in the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- A.D. 25) and found re- ceptive consumers throughout the world. Before the Industrial Revolution, silk became a major commodity in international trade, facilitating the emergence of an extensive trade network connecting the East and the West that was the first of its kind. The ancient Silk Road connecting China to the West came into being, which played a huge role in facilitating the exchange of cultures between the East and the West.
For centuries, Chinese silk products have been renowned for their exceptional quality, exquisite colors, and rich cultural connotations. China's sericulture techniques, silk reeling meth- ods and jacquard weaving technology also played a significant role in spurring the modern European textile industry revolu- tion, resulting in technological advances and innovations, especially the use of new machines in textile production.
絲綢
絲綢是中國優秀傳統文化的重要標識。這種用蠶絲或人造絲織造的紡織品，具有光澤柔和、穿著舒適、吸放濕性好等特性。
中國是絲綢的故鄉，中國古代勞動人民發明并大規模生產絲綢制品。據考古學發現和推測，在距今五六千年前的新石器時代中期，中國先人們就開始養蠶取絲、紡織絲綢。傳說4000多年前，黃帝的妻子嫘祖就發明了"養蠶取絲"的技術。在漢代以前，中國是唯一能生產絲綢的國家，絲綢成為華夏文明的重要標志物。從西漢時期開始，中國絲綢大量運往國外，受到當地人們的廣泛歡迎，成為工業革命前國際貿易的主要物資，并由此開啟了世界歷史上第一次東西方大規模商貿交流，形成中國通往西方的古代絲綢之路，促進了東西方文明交流。
幾千年來，中國絲綢產品以其卓越的品質、精美的花色、豐富的文化內涵聞名于世。中國的蠶桑技術、繅絲和絲織提花技術還對西方的紡織技術和近代歐洲紡織工業革命產生了重大的影響，促進了歐洲紡織技術的提升和機械生產的革新。
