The history of silk is lost in the mists of time. We know from archeological evidence that silk was being cultivated in China as long ago as the 4th millennium BC and that the silkworms used were of the species Bombyx mori, the same species we use today.
According to Chinese tradition, the history of silk begins in the 27th century BC,
when a silk worm’s cocoon fell into the tea cup of the empress Leizu. Wishing to extract it from her drink, the young girl of fourteen began to unroll the thread of the cocoon. She then had the idea to weave it. Having observed the life of the silk worm on the recommendation of her husband, the Yellow Emperor, she began to instruct her entourage the art of raising silk worms, sericulture. From this point on, the girl became the goddess of silk in Chinese Mythology.
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