Who Discovered Silk?

Hsi Leng Shih, the wife of the Yellow Emperor of China is credited with the discovery of silk at around 3000BC. The story is disputed, for because it is considered more to be a mythical legend and than a true fact of history. The story continues because of the absence of any evidence that someone else invented silk. In spite of this, there is one thing that can be said with certainty – the Chinese discovered silk!

In the early days, silk was a luxury and was reserved for the emperor and for those who were close to him. It was only during the Han Dynasty (206BC -220AD) that the silk was produced on an industrial scale. In this period, the Chinese merchants transferred the secret of silk-making to the Indians and Persians. Soon these people were making their own silk.
The Europeans, during their attacks on Jerusalem and other Muslim lands during the Crusades, managed to locate some silk weavers and soon silk production began in Italy. Before that, the Europeans were importing all their silk from the East. Since then, silk production spread to the Europeans and later to the West.

China still leads the world in silk production and the production there is increasing despite the invention of artificial fibers. The art of producing silk is known as ‘sericulture’.

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