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.
丝绸
丝绸是中国优秀传统文化的重要标识。这种用蚕丝或人造丝织造的纺织品，具有光泽柔和、穿着舒适、吸放湿性好等特性。
中国是丝绸的故乡，中国古代劳动人民发明并大规模生产丝绸制品。据考古学发现和推测，在距今五六千年前的新石器时代中期，中国先人们就开始养蚕取丝、纺织丝绸。传说4000多年前，黄帝的妻子嫘祖就发明了"养蚕取丝"的技术。在汉代以前，中国是唯一能生产丝绸的国家，丝绸成为华夏文明的重要标志物。从西汉时期开始，中国丝绸大量运往国外，受到当地人们的广泛欢迎，成为工业革命前国际贸易的主要物资，并由此开启了世界历史上第一次东西方大规模商贸交流，形成中国通往西方的古代丝绸之路，促进了东西方文明交流。
几千年来，中国丝绸产品以其卓越的品质、精美的花色、丰富的文化内涵闻名于世。中国的蚕桑技术、缫丝和丝织提花技术还对西方的纺织技术和近代欧洲纺织工业革命产生了重大的影响，促进了欧洲纺织技术的提升和机械生产的革新。
