Chinese silk--a shimmering appearance

Chinese silk	Chinese silk

Ever wondered why silk has a shimmering appearance? It comes from the triangular prism-like structure of the silk fibre, which allows it to refract light.
It is believed that the Chinese first started making silk around 2,700 BC. Legend has it that Empress Si Ling Chi discovered silk when a silkworm moth cocoon fell from a mulberry tree into her tea. After some experiment, she finally managed to weave the silk filament into a piece of fabric.
The process of making silk weaving is still the same today. Known as sericulture, the cocoons are placed in hot water to release the silk filaments and kill the silkworm larvae. The filaments are combined to form yarn, wound and finally dried. Each cocoon can yield around 500 to 1,200 yards of silk.
Silk was considered China’s most valuable trade commodity, resulting in the famous Silk Road trading route. Silk making was a closely-guarded government secret until 300 AD when it was leaked out to India.