Silk Factory

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Beijing - May 19, 2006
Dong Wu Silk Factory

This stop brought us to the Dong Wu Silk Factory where we learned how silk fabric was made. It takes years for the silk worms to mature to create the cocoon that will become fabric.

Silk is a natural protein fiber that can be woven into textiles. It is obtained from the cocoon of silkworm larvae reared in captivity (sericulture). The shimmering appearance for which silk is prized comes from the fibers' triangular prism-like structure, which allows silk cloth to refract incoming light at different angles.

For more information on silk visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk

Entrance to the Dong Wu Silk Factory.

The cocoon.

We even got samples, complete with worms.

Worms at different stages of life.

Cocoons in their natural state.

"Retired" worms.

Machine that unravels the cocoon into silk thread.

Rollers gather the silk threads.

Workers taking care of business.

If you look closely, you can see the individual threads.

Silk thread ready for processing into weaving thread.

This is the natural color of silk.

Some cocoon are soaked and stretched into a pre-woven cloth.

Stretching hoops.

The stretched fabric is then pulled to make many layers of a comforter.

These workers are pros. Our group did not do quite so well getting the cloth stretched evenly!

The finished projects.

Beautiful fabrics and bedding.

Silk. (2006, August 16). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:28, August 17, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Silk&oldid=69940153.

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