Chinese silk For over 5,000 years the history of silk and the history of China have been closely intertwined. The famous Silk Road was the very important trade road in ancient time. It made great contribution to the development of the human's civilization. The methods of silk production were carefully guarded secrets for most of those years. For centuries silk has been one of China's most important items of trade.

The history of Chinese silk

According to archeological evidence, silk and silk fabric emerged in China at least 5,500 years ago. It was said that the demigod Leizu, a legendary figure of prehistoric China, who first planted mulberries and raised silkworms.
During the Zhou Dynasty (11th century-221BC), a special administration was set up to manage sericulture (silkworm breeding) and silk production. The famous Silk Road to the Middle East and Europe was opened in the western Han Dynasty (206BC-25AD). Gradually, sericulture and silk production techniques spread to other countries. Chinese silk was highly prized among the wealthy of the Ancient Roman Empire. Today, Chinese silk still enjoys high reputation for its superb quality throughout the world.
One circular life of silkworm
Silkworm has three distinct morphological stages: larva, pupa and moth. After hatching from the egg, actually the larva is not really a worm at all but a caterpillar. larvae go through four molts as they grow. During each molt, the old skin is exuviated and a new, larger one is produced. The silk worm larval life is divided into five instars, separated by four molts.

Sericulture
The egg of silkworm is very tiny as a pinhead. A female moth can lay 500 or more eggs in four to six days and dies soon after. The eggs must be kept at 65 degrees F, increasing gradually to 77 degrees at which point they hatch. The larvae hatch in about 10 days and the baby worms are about 0.6cm long. They eat day and night every half hour on fresh, hand-picked and chopped mulberry leaves until they are very fat. Also a fixed temperature has to be maintained throughout. Thousands of feeding worms are kept on trays. A roomful of munching of silkworms sounds like heavy rain falling on the roof. The newly hatched silkworm multiplies its weight 10,000 times within a month, changing color and shedding its whitish-gray skin several times.
The silkworms keep on eating until they have stored up enough energy to enter the cocoon stage. At this time they can be 7.5cm long. While they are growing they have to be protected from loud noises, strong smells such as those of fish and meat and even the odor of sweat. When it is time to build their cocoons, the worms produce a jelly-like substance in their silk glands, which hardens when it comes into contact with air. Silkworms spend three or four days spinning a cocoon around themselves until they look like puffy, white balls.
After eight or nine days in a warm, dry place the cocoons are ready to be unwound. Cocoons can not be stored with a long time because the pupa (chrysalis) remains alive it will begin to secrete alkali, which eats its way through the cocoon, ruining the silk threads. So they are steamed or baked to kill the pupas. The cocoons are then soaked into hot water to loosen the tightly woven filaments. These filaments are unwound onto a spool. Each cocoon is made up of a filament between 600 and 900 meters long! Between five and eight of these super-fine filaments are combined together to make one yarn. An interesting fact is that about 1,000 meters of filament can be unwound from one cocoon, while 110 cocoons are needed for a man's tie, and 630 cocoons are needed for a woman's blouse.
After the silk is harvested from the cocoons it is brought to the weavers for dyeing and preparation for weaving. Today most dyes are chemical dye but before it is vegetable dye.
Broken or waste filaments and damaged cocoons are retained, treated to remove the sericin, and combed. This is then processed into yarn, marketed as spun silk, which is inferior in character to the reeled product and much cheaper. Low grade silk is made from damaged cocoons that were spoiled by emerging moths used for breeding stock. Filaments from the coarse outer portion of the cocoon, which is removed by brushing before reeling, and the inner portion of the cocoon, which remains after reeling the raw silk, are mixed with silk from damaged cocoons to make low grade silk.
Finally the silk threads are used for suits, coats, trousers, jackets, shirts, handkerchiefs, ties, lingerie, hosiery, scarves, bedspreads, gloves, lace, curtains, silk quilt, linings and handbags. They are also used for embroidery work, and silk carpets.
Characteristics of silk
Silkworms possess a pair of specially modified salivary glands called sericteries, which are used for the production of a clear, viscous, proteinaceous fluid that is forced through openings called spinnerets on the mouthpart of the larva. As the fluid comes into contact with the air it hardens. The diameter of the spinneret determines the thickness of the silk thread, which is produced as a long, continuous filament. Silk is a natural protein fiber containing about 70-75% of actual fiber fibroin and about 25-30% sericin. Silk filaments are very fine and long - as much as 300 to 900 meters in length. Silk has a high natural luster and sheen of a white or cream color; and is one of the strongest fibers at 2.6 to 4.8 grams per denier. When it is dry the elongation (elastic recovery) varies from 10-25% and when wet it will elongate as much as 33-35%. Silk has a relatively high standard moisture regain of 11%. At saturation the regain is 25-35%. Silk can be dyed before or after it has been woven into a cloth. It can be woven or knitted.
Due to the quality of silk, the silk products are not only beautiful and lightweight but also they are warm in cool weather and cool in hot weather. At the same time silk products are moistureproof, germproof, antistatic and anti-worms. So they are very good for health. Chinese silk products are very welcomed by the people from all over the world.
Embroidery is an excellent traditional Chinese handicraft. The unearthed silk painting and embroidery proved that its history was over 3000 years. At present, the piece of embroidery of the Shang Dynasty (1600BC-1100BC) found in Henan Province is the earliest embroidery handicraft in China.
The silk embroidery in ancient China had great influence on the people’s material and cultural life. It was also the main article for exporting via the Silk Road. During the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD) the technology of silk embroidery reached a fairly high level. In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the folk embroidery of different providences with different styles mainly formed into four categories: Suxiu Embroidery in Suzhou, Xiangxiu Embroidery in Hunan, Shuxiu Embroidery in Sichuan and Yuexiu Embroidery in Guangdong.
After the People’s Republic of China was established, the art of painting and photography has been applied on the silk embroidery that created a terrific effect. They look like paintings from distance but embroidery at close quarters. At the same time the usage of silk embroidery was also expanded from the costumes to tablecloth, bedspread, pillowcases, screens and wall hangings.
Embroidered works have become very complicated and exquisite today. The double-sided embroidered cat is one representative work of suxiu Embroidery. The artists split the hair-thin colored silk thread into filament, which can be half, quarter, 1/8 or even 1/48 of its original thickness. They use these very thin filaments in embroidering. But the thousands of ends and joints cannot be seen just like disappearing. The finished work is a cute and lovely looking cat on both sides of the groundwork. The most difficult part of the work is the eyes of the cat. In order to give them luster and life, silk filaments of more than twenty colors of shade have to be used. Recently the double-sided silk embroidery has developed further innovations. The same design on both sides is embroidered in different colors and totally different designs on both sides can be embroidered on the same groundwork. That is really incredible artwork.
The four famous categories of silk embroidery represent the artistic value and workmanship of Chinese embroidery.
Suxiu Embroidery is known for its neat stitches, elegant colors and fine quality. Smooth, neat, bright, even, fine and tight are its feature. The subjects of its embroidering are mostly cats, finish and shrimps. The double-sided Suxiu Embroidery with two sides that can be appreciated is really exquisite.
Xiangxiu Embroidery has bright colors. It always uses Chinese paintings as its background. The mountains, rivers, pavilions, birds and animals are embroidered realistically and lifelike. The techniques of Xiangxiu Embroidery are manifested fully in the embroidery of tigers and lions. Their hair is embroidered with fine lines. There is a saying: On Xiangxiu Embroidery tiger can run, bird can sing, flowers are fragrant and people are lifelike.
Shuxiu Embroidery is characterized by its simple structure, bright colors, well-knit stitches, smooth surface and traditional decorator designs such as squares and stripes. Its subjects are mostly butterflies, carps, pandas and so on.
Yuexiu Embroidery is always done with gold or silver threads, which are neat and bright. It has tight layout, decorator designs and gorgeous surface. It is mostly used in theatrical costumes and wedding gowns. Peacocks, dragon, phoenix are its traditional subjects.

Silk carpet introduction
Silk carpets, made of high quality natural silk, are produced in a complicated traditional work. A lot of pre-work was involved before weaving.
Make design and match colors Draw design on a chart and match the different colors on it so that the weavers can follow. This is a creative work. The artisans must have a blue print in their mind. Actually the finished carpet is the representation of the design. To some extent, this is the first important thing because it can determine the value of the carpet.
Prepare the material
Reel off the raw silk fiber from the cocoons. One third of the silk from the cocoons can be used to weave silk carpets. Then bind the silk fiber into silk strands. Put the silk strands into boiling alkaline water for 30-40 minutes to make it soft and later rinse the alkali and impurities by clean water. Traditionally use natural pigments (indigo, saffron crocus, acorn cup, and larkspur stem...) to dye the yarns into different colors. But now we use also chemical dye. Generally speaking, about 30 kinds of colors of silk strands will be used when weaving carpets.
Hang the warp
Warps will be fixed on the loom rack, which is almost like a standing frame consisting of 4 bars. The warps will be looped tightly between the top bar and the bottom one. Heddles will be bound between another orizontal bar and warps. After the foundation is woven by plain silk thread the carpet knotting will start.
Knot silk carpet
The silk yarns will be clasped around the warps by either the Turkish Ghiordes knots (Double knots) or by the Persian Senneh knots. Then the end of the silk thread will be cut off by knife. When a raw of knots is finished the weft will run through compartment space between front and back warps. With the comb the knots and wefts will be struck hard against the wefts.
Make tassel, shear carpet and wash carpet
After months' or even years' work the whole carpet is finished. It will be cut down from the loom rack. The ends of the warps will be coiled up into beautiful tassels. The carpet will be sheared evenly and washed thoroughly before being sold.
It will take one girl about half a year to make a 2×3ft carpet of 300 lines (90,000knots per square foot), 1.5 years to weave a 2×3ft silk carpet of 500 lines (250,000knots per square foot), two years to knot a 2×1.5 feet silk carpet with 800 lines (640,000knots per square foot) and 3 years to make a 1.2×1.5 feet silk carpet with 1000 lines (1000, 000 knots per square foot). The silk thread used to knot top quality carpet is as thin as a hair. When knotting, weavers even need to use magnifier. The work is so harmful to weavers' eyes that they seldom can make the second same piece. So this kind of silk carpet is named "soft gold".
Carpet weaving history in China
Carpet weaving appeared in China during the West Han Dynasty 2000 years ago. During the 8th century Chinese felt carpets were prevailed and they were even stitched by silver threads. The dragon carpets of the 17th and 18th century were especially magnificent. This was possibly the peak of Chinese knotting art. But very few pieces of ancient carpets produced before the Qing Dynasty (1644 AD-1911AD) preserved. In the early time of 20th century Americans and Europeans established some carpet factories in Tianjin, Qingdao and Beijing. The mainly material was wool, but not silk. After liberation (1949AD.), carpet-weaving industry was well developed. A lot of new designs appeared such as Peking Design, Esthetic Design, Floral Design, Embossed Design, Antique Design, and Chinese-Persian Design (originated from Middle East further developed in China, very popular at present.). Hundreds of academically educated designers improved the traditional models and trained weaving masters. China became one of the worldwide leading producers of the finest Oriental carpets in the 1980s. The finest silk carpet of the world, with a density of 1,000,000 knots per square foot (1000lines per foot) was from Zhenping, Nanyang Prefecture in Central China. That carpet was listed in Guinness Book of Record in 1998.
Chinese silk carpets are woven out of the high quality silk, Hand-knotted, with high-density and superb quality, graceful and various in design, harmonious in color matching, shining and smooth in surface, soft yet durable in texture, well proportioned and orderly in pattern. Free from confusion, anti-worm-eaten. Due to these features, Chinese silk carpets are of high artistic value, and good for decorations or collection. In addition the reasonable price, Chinese Silk carpets become one of the best-welcomed carpets in the international market.
Knot density
120lines: 14,000knots∕square foot
300lines: 90,000knots ∕square foot
400lines: 160,000knots ∕square foot
500lines: 250,000knots ∕square foot
600lines: 360,000knots ∕square foot
800lines: 640,000knots ∕square foot
1000lines: 1,000,000knots ∕square foot
Normal shape
Rectangular, square, runner, oval and round are normal shapes of silk carpets.
When choosing a carpet you should consider the size and shape of the carpet. Silk carpets have special measures. So the size could be approximately with that you want. Silk carpets are works of art and are not made to cover the entire floor, so there usually will be at least 1 to 2 feet (30 to 60 centimeters) of vacant space between the edge of carpet and its surrounding furniture or walls. For the sizes of rectangular, square and runner carpets, it is no need to explain. However for the round carpet the size is measured by its diameter. For the oval shaped carpet, the longer diameter is considered to be the length and the shorter one the width.
Basic layout
Allover
Carpets in this layout have no central design and the designs spread throughout the whole carpet separately or connected. There may be one same design or several designs appearing repeatedly throughout the whole carpet.
Medallion
In this layout, a large centerpiece is the main design called "Medallion". And this layout is the most popular one in handmade carpet. The shapes of medallions are usually circular, oval, octagonal, hexagonal and star-like. This kind of carpets is always symmetric in layout.
One-sided
For this layout, the designs are woven in only one direction. Therefore the carpet can only be properly viewed from one side. The designs on one-sided carpets are usually images of people, animals and sceneries. Since one-sided carpets should not be viewed upside-down they are often used as tapestries.
Colors
Silk carpets have many colors but the first impression of the color a carpet gives you is the contrast of various colors that creates the different designs. This is the same way in all other art fields. The colors of a carpet are mainly identified by the field (background) color and the border color. The field color is dominant. It usually covers the entire carpet with the exception of the border and the most commonly used colors are red, blue, black, beige and yellow. But some times, the colors of background and the border are so distinguishable. So when choosing the silk carpet you should consider whether the field color matches your furniture and the wall.
Styles
There are many styles in Chinese silk carpet. Typical Chinese styles are like dragon design, phoenix design, Buddhist and Taoist symbol design. Persian style is very important and popular. Since introduced in China, it has been very well developed. A lot of high-density knot silk carpets are woven in Persian style. Turkish style and other styles also can be seen in Chinese silk carpets.
Quality Criteria
What Determines A Good Silk Carpet?
The knot density is one of the most important criteria of quality. The quality of silk, the workmanship, the harmony of colors and the balance of the pattern are also important factors to determine the quality.
As far as the knot density concerned, we consider 120 lines (14400knots/sft) silk carpet medium fine, 300 lines (90,000knots/sft) silk carpet fine, 400 lines (160,000 knots/sft) silk carpet super fine, above 500 lines (250,000 knots/sft) silk carpet extreme fine, 1000 lines (1000,000 knots/sft) silk carpet the finest. The Persian and Turkish silk carpet are very famous for their design and quality but compared with Chinese silk carpet, the knot density is much lower. China produces extremely high knot-density silk carpets and silk tapestries, which workmanship are incredibly exquisite.
How to take care of silk carpet?
Silk carpet is a kind of luxury decoration. When use it, you should attach great attention so as to prolong its life.
Placing the silk carpet
When place the silk carpet, put a good quality underlay below it. This will not only give better resilience underfoot, but also prolong the life of silk carpet. The carpet mat can absorb the moisture of the floor and prevent the carpet slipping.
Cleaning and stain removal
Generally speaking, every 2 years you should look for a professional carpet cleaning company to clean the silk carpets one time. In daily life you can vacuum the carpet to remove dirt but not vacuum the fringes. If beer, wine or oil stains the silk carpets but not seriously you can use a towel to dilute the spill quickly then use lukewarm water with a mild detergent and a dash of vinegar to dab stain with soft cloth.
Preservation
When you don't use the carpet you should roll it against the direction of the nap and sore it at a dry place in case of being damped. You should not put the carpet in a plastic bag.
Shifting directions
Depends on the traffic every 6 months or one-year please shift the direction of the carpet so as the piles can keep in good condition.
If you want to buy Chinese silk carpet or silk tapestry Please browse this web page:
www.chinasilkcarpet.com
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