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Silk, one of earliest inventions in Chinese history, made China famous worldwide at a very early date through the "silk Road."Sericulture and silk weaving were a basic part of China's agriculture and a major source both of livelihood for farmers and townsfolk and of taxes for their rulers.Before the 20th century, sericulture and silk production were the main occupations of rural women in China. Raising silkworms and weaving silk fabrics were done by women, while men were involved in the transportation and trading of silk products. Indeed, there is a tradition that silkworms were originally raised by Lei Zu, the consort of the Yellow Emperor, the legendary ancestor of the Chinese nation, indicating how closely silk is related to Chinese culture.

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