Silk is a fine but strong fiber that silkworms produce when they make their cocoons. It can be woven to obtain a very soft and smooth fabric. Silk fabric was invented in ancient China and played an important role in its culture and economy for thousands of years. Silk fabric was extremely valuable in ancient China. Wearing silk was an important status symbol. At first, only members of the royal family were allowed to wear silk. Later, silk clothing was reserved for the noble class. Merchants and peasants were not allowed to wear silk. Silk was even used as currency under some ancient Chinese dynasties. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essaySilk has become a prized export for the Chinese. Nobles and kings of foreign countries desired silk and paid high prices for the fabric. The emperors of China wanted to keep the process of making silk a secret. Anyone caught revealing the secret or taking silkworms out of China was put to death. Legend has it that the process of making silk fabric was first invented by the Yellow Emperor's wife, Leizu, around 2696 BC. The idea for silk came to Leizu while she was having tea in the imperial gardens. A cocoon fell into his tea and unraveled. She noticed that the cocoon was actually made of a long thread that was both strong and soft. Leizu then discovered how to combine silk fiber to make thread. She also invented the silk loom which combined threads to make a soft fabric. Soon, Leizu had a mulberry forest for silkworms to feed on and taught the rest of China how to make silk. The Chinese managed to keep silk a secret for over 1000 years. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.Get a Custom Essay However, in 550 AD, the secret of silk became known to other countries when two monks of the Byzantine Empire managed to smuggle worm eggs out of the country. silk. They hid the eggs inside their bamboo canes. The ancient Chinese bred special butterflies to produce the quality silk they desired. Here are the steps in the silk manufacturing process: A butterfly lays 500 eggs and then dies; Baby worms that hatch from eggs are fed; Mulberry leaves for a month until they are fat; Worms spin cocoons; The cocoons are steamed to kill. the moth growing inside; the cocoons are rinsed in hot water to loosen the threads; the women unroll the cocoons then combine six of these fibers into silk thread; the threads are woven into fabric; the fabric is then pounded to make it softer. Works Cited: Anderson, S. (2018). Almost every American now owns a smartphone. Pew Research Center. Artukovich, K. (2020). The impact of technology on reading and writing habits by generations. The writing cooperative. Grant, S. (2021). Does technology help or hinder your ability to read and write? EdTech Magazine. Howard, J. (2018). How technology is changing the way children learn. The Guardian. Jones, C. and Shao, B. (2011). The Internet generation and digital natives: Implications for higher education. Academy of Higher Education. Mayer, R.E. (2009). Multimedia learning. Cambridge University Press. Miller, A. (2018). How technology is changing the way we read. The Verge. National Association.