the silkworm and the silk

The Fable of Silkworm and Horse is recorded in the mythical novel A Search for God. As the legend goes, in ancient times there is a father who went afar, leaving his only daughter at home. The daughter missed her father so much that she joked with her horse, "I'll marry you if you get my father back home." The horse did as what she said and got her father back. However, when her father returned home, the daughter copped out on her words. When her father got to know the truth, he killed the horse with his arrow and peeled its skin. All of a sudden, the horse skin jumped up, wrapped up the girl and disappeared. Several days later, the father found among the leaves of a big tree his daughter, who had turned into a silkworm spinning on the tree. The tree was the mulberry.

The silkworm is a holometabolous insect requiring special care in different stages of growth. Therefore, sericulture is a hard job. When cocoons are formed, we may begin reeling raw silk, which can then be weaved into colorful silk. China boasts a large variety of silk, including the massive brocade and floss, light gauze and yarn, lustrous satin and damask silk, as well as delicate Gesi silk tapestry and superior embroidery.