Mulberry Silkworm Silk System

Timeline

1. -2701–-201Middle and lower Yellow River · Yellow River basinEarly peoples domesticated wild silkworms and cultivated mulberry as fodder, forming a division of labor from rearing and reeling to weaving; silk gradually became an important material for ritual, tribute, and foreign trade.
2. 960–1127Liangzhe and Jiangnan East Circuit · JiangnanFrom the Northern Song to the early Southern Song, the government established sericulture administration bodies and Jiangnan became the main producing region; farmers' mulberry planting, silkworm rearing, reeling, and silk exports through maritime trade were interlinked, forming a highly regionalized silk industry chain.
3. c. 1131–1140Lin'an Prefecture and Mingzhou port · LiangzheAfter the Southern Song established its capital in the southeast, the mulberry silkworm silk system supported court silk, military silk bolts, and maritime trade; ports such as Mingzhou and Quanzhou exported silk goods, and silkworm breeds and mulberry orchard management techniques kept the core Jiangnan producing areas running amid the warfare.