에 대한 답변 VOL 1 Test 1 - The development of the silk industry

Silk, a natural fibre produced by a particular worm called a silkworm, has been used in clothing for many centuries.

When silk was first discovered in China over 4,500 years ago, it was reserved exclusively for members of the Royal family, and some of the very highest of his dignitaries. 1Within the palace, the emperor is believed to have worn a robe of white silk; outside, he, his principal wife, and the heir to the throne wore yellow, the colour of the earth.

Gradually, silk came into more general use, though it was still very much sought after. Nobles began wearing tunics of silk, as well as being used for clothing and decoration. Silk was quite adequately put to industrial use, and rapidly became one of the principal elements of the Chinese economy. 2It was also used in the production of musical instruments, as string for fishing, and even as the world's first luxury paper. Eventually even the common people were able to wear garments of silk.

During the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), silk ceased to be a mere fabric and became a form of currency. 3People could pay taxes in grain and silk, and silk was used to pay civil servants and to reward subjects for outstanding services. 4Values were calculated in lengths of silk as they had previously been calculated in lengths of cloth. 5So valuable did silk become, it was even used in trade with foreign countries, which contributed to the great "Silk dynasty (616-907 AD). It is possible that this added importance was the result of a major increase in production. Silk also found its way so thoroughly into the Chinese language that half of all characters relating to textiles in Mandarin* have 'silk' as their key component. Silk became a precious commodity, highly sought after by other countries from an early date, and it is believed that the silk trade actually existed before the Silk Road** was officially opened in the second century BC. 6An Egyptian mummy with a silk thread in her hair, dating from 1070 BC, has been discovered in the village of Deir el Medina near the Valley of the Kings, and is probably the earliest evidence of the silk trade. During the second century BC, the Chinese emperor Han Wu Di, ambassador, travelled as far as Central Asia to negotiate agreements and gifts including silks. A range of important finds of Chinese silks have also been made along the Silk Road. One of the first dramatic of these finds came from 1988, when eight bodies, possibly 4,000 years old, possibly alarmed by the threat posed by Tibetan peoples, 7had sealed more than a thousand manuscripts and silk fabrics in libraries. One of these finds is near Dunhuang, a trading station on the Silk Road in north-west China.

It appears that one of the first merchants of silk to set eyes upon the fabulous fabric were the Roman legions of Marcus Licinius Crassus, Governor of Syria. According to certain accounts, at this period, at an important battle near the Euphrates River in 53 BC, 8the Chinese banners were so startled by the impressive sight that the entire army was struck dumb in panic. Yet, 9within decades Chinese silk was widely worn by the rich aristocratic families of Rome. The Roman Emperor Heliogabalus (218-222 AD) wore nothing but silk. By 380 AD, the Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus reported the increasing use of silk, which was once confined to the nobility, has now spread to all classes without distinction - even to the lowest. The desire for silk continued to increase over the centuries. Despite this demand, the price of silk remained very high.

It was silk production without competition: methods that the Chinese eventually lost their monopoly on silk production. Knowledge of silk production methods reached Korea around 200 BC, when waves of Chinese immigrants arrived there. Shortly after 300 AD, it travelled westward, and the cultivation of the silkworm was established in India.

12Around 550 AD silk production reached the Middle East. 10Records indicate that two monks from Central Asia, possibly on a mission to serve the Byzantine Empire, 10appeared at that empire's court with silkworm eggs which they had obtained secretly, and hidden in their hollow bamboo walking-sticks. Under their supervision the eggs hatched into worms, and the worms spun silk threads. Byzantium was in the silk business at last. The Byzantine church and state created imperial workshops, monopolised production and, keeping the price high, set about marketing. In order to sustain the silk industry to be established, undercutting the market for expensive grade Chinese silk. 11However, high quality silk textiles, woven in China especially for the Middle Eastern market, continued to achieve high prices in the West, and trade along the Silk Road continued as before. By the sixth century the Chinese, far from being concerned about others developing their own rich patterns and techniques. 12But it wasn't until the 13th century that Italy began silk production, with the introduction of 2,000 skilled silk workers from Constantinople. Eventually, Italian silk production became widespread throughout Europe.

13World silk production has approximately doubled during the last 30 years in spite of man-made fibres, and much of the reason for this has been China and Japan were the two main producers, together manufacturing more than 50 per cent of world production each year. After the late 1970s, however, China dramatically increased its silk production, and once again became the world's leading silk producer.

*A group of educated Chinese dialects which have been recognised as the "national language" since the early 20th century.

**An ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean Sea.