The Fascinating Process of Making Silk at Beijing’s Silk Factory

My stay in Beijing was an alternation between tourist attractions and factories, and as a main station of the legendary Silk Road starting right from China, I visited the government-run silk factory to see silk production process steps, alongside pearl and jade factories.

While I absolutely adore pearls and jades, what impressed me the most was seeing the silk production process steps, from the worms’ cocoons to the finest bed sheets, one of the things that make China famous all over the world.

Image: Weaving the silk in Beijing silk factory at Beijing's Silk factory
Weaving the silk in Beijing silk factory

Learning the Silk Road History in Beijing

I knew China has always been famous for its silk, that throughout the centuries they have exported it all over the world, decorating palaces of kings, emperors, presidents, shaping dream dresses for queens and empresses, evoking art, femininity and the obsessive attention to the smallest detail, yet when I stepped in the silk factory in Beijing I wasn’t particularly excited.

I thought it was going to be some kind of “technical” visit, but instead, I immediately found myself immersed in a modern replica of the legendary Silk Road, the most famous trading route of ancient China, that saw the mysterious and adored fabric being exported to Western countries over the span of centuries.

Image: Silkworms cocoons, silk production process steps at Beijing's Silk factory
Silkworms cocoons, silk production process steps

The Silk Road trade saw its heights during the Han dynasty, when it crossed two Continents, from China to Europe, passing through the Indian Sub-continent, the Persian Empire, the Middle East, the Mediterranean region, and finally the Roman Empire and Europe.

The routes ancient traders took along the Silk Road were hostile and claimed the lives of more than one pioneer.

Image: Leaving the cocoons to soak at Beijing's Silk factory
Leaving the cocoons to soak

Either choosing to cross the Taklimakan desert, known at the time under the name of “Land of Death”, or passing through the Himalayas, travelers constantly faced the risk of not arriving at their destination or not being able to go back home.

The Taklimakan desert is China’s largest and driest desert. Nestled in the Tarim Basin between the Kunlun Mountains and the Plateau of the Tibet on the south and the Celestial Mountains on the north, it was one of the harshest regions travelers had to face in ancient times. With a temperature range that dramatically drops from 50°C during summer to -20°C wintertime, and the common sand storms particularly dangerous due to the power of the wind, Taklimakan desert was one of the most inhospitable areas along the Silk Road map through which the precious material had to pass by in order to reach the far-flung destinations it was aimed to.

Image: A spinning machine that unravels the silk thread at Beijing's Silk factory
A spinning machine that unravels the silk thread

If travelers and traders were not to pass through the Taklimakan desert, they could choose among other options, but the truth is said, they were as bad as the first one: on the northeast, there is the Gobi desert, almost as tough as the Taklimakan, while on the south there are the Himalayas, Karakorum and Kunlun mountainous chains, that still today are a barrier between China and the sub-continent.

The Chinese traded silk for medicines, perfumes, precious stones and apparently slaves. When the secret of the silk was not Chinese exclusivity anymore, the trade along the legendary silk route started its decline.

Silk Making Process at Beijing’s Silk Factory

Image: Stretching the silk thread at Beijing's Silk factory
Stretching the silk thread

At the silk factory in Beijing, I saw how the silk is made today, but within the tour, they managed to give me a hint of how the precious material was made once upon a time, which is not much different from today’s process.

Silkworms produce their own cocoons out of a single silk thread, and once the cocoon is ready, they are hand-picked one by one and put in an oven (sic!), where the heat will kill the worm without damaging the silk thread. When worms are dead, the cocoons are left to soak in water so workers can easily find the end of the thread in order to place it in the spinning machine that will untangle many of them per time. A single thread is too thin, and usually, the finished silk strand used to make the fabric comprises eight raw threads.

Silkworm was originally raised in Asia and Africa, although now farms raise silkworm for silk production in many parts of the world with moderate climates. The different species of silkworms farmed are mainly valued by the quality of the silk they produce and the number of breeding per year.

Image: Stretching raw silk at Beijing's Silk factory in China
Stretching the silk threads to form blankets and bedsheets, silk factory

When the silk thread is untangled from the cocoon, the dead worm is left in the water, and the thread is ready to be worked.

At the end of the explanation, our guide brought us to the last step of our mini “silk road”, the store where we could buy all silk products made in that factory at convenient prices. I wanted to buy a beautiful set of bed sheets but for the sake of “traveling light,” I left it there. After quite some time, I still regret not having bought it, and should I go back to Beijing, that would be my first stop. The price of silk is fairly good in china since it is the largest silk-producing country along with India.

Admittedly, the journey through the process that makes the silk has proved more fascinating than expected, and since China boasts such a long tradition of silk-making and trading, leaving the country without visiting a silk factory is like missing out on a crucial part of Chinese history and culture.

Information about silk and its usage is not hard to find nowadays, although practically walking through the process step by step was an interesting experience in China. The Discovery of silk in ancient China goes back to 3000 BC, when Hsi Ling Shi, wife of Emperor Huang Ti was the first person to unintentionally find out silk was a weavable fiber. Silk materials are used in many different shapes around the world. Silk thread jeweller is one kind of handmade silk production used for fashion in India. With silk thread, they make jewellery such as earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. Although, silk thread jewellery fashion is more common in India. In Afghanistan raw silk thread is used to design the sleeves, collars, and edges of Rosaries and they use raw silk fabric also known as Silk Noil to make shawls and chadors. So, every country uses silk products in a different way.

Practical info

Address: Changping District, Xi’erqi East 1st Rd.

This is a state-run silk factory in China and while I did find it very interesting, it’s also fair to mention that it’s usually a stop in many tours of Beijing. Along with the jade factory, in fact, this is a “shopping stop”. You don’t have to buy anything, but it’s a place most tour guides will take you. I haven’t compared their prices with any other places, but the silk goods I saw were authentic and of high quality. In China, you are bound to find a lot of fakes, including silk products, obviously cheaper, so if you are looking for quality, pay attention and haggle well.

about me: Angela Corrias
About the author

I'm Angela Corrias, an Italian journalist, photographer, and travel writer located in the heart of Italy's capital. Welcome to my website, your comprehensive source for your travels and expert guidance for crafting your dream travel experience.

22 thoughts on “The Fascinating Process of Making Silk at Beijing’s Silk Factory”

  1. After getting a Chinese fortune stick in Hong Kong that said “Do not take up silk worm farming for you will fail” I’ve always wondered about the particulars. I’ll leave it to the pros. Very interesting post!

    Reply
    • Umm… even after having witnessed the process of silk making, I’m unable to interpret your fortune stick :P Glad you liked the post!

      Reply
    • It was very fascinating indeed, and the finished products really seemed to belong to a dream. Impressive how a silk blouse can come out of some cocoons!

      Reply
  2. A great post (and photos – as usual! :) ) Angela. Amazing that people went to such lengths to ‘export’ their products in times gone by. Glad they did though as those travellers have certainly left their mark in history for us travellers to appreciate.
    Julia

    Reply
    • Thanks Julia, true, those travellers have left us very fascinating facts to study and discover. Walking on the path they walked centuries before us really makes you step back in time.

      Reply
    • To be honest I wasn’t a silk person either, maybe because in other countries I just saw the finished product and never had the chance to understand its history. Silk was created in China, and there are so many legends about it that also the fabric becomes fascinating. Besides, they know silk better than we do in Italy, and they don’t make only clothes, but many other objects that I’m really starting to love.

      Reply
  3. I know, unfortunately, there are many things that to be used need the animal to be killed. Pearls too for that matter, for each pearl, or sometimes more, it’s a dead oyster..

    Reply
  4. Wow, this is fascinating! I didn’t know about this silk making before, and I’d never seen silkworm cocoon before (not even in photos). I didn’t know that a cocoon is made of a single thread! Thanks for sharing this!

    Reply
  5. I am leaving for China in a week and I will certainly visit the silk factory after your great article thanks for all the historical aspect and photos

    Reply
  6. Hi Angela, I’ve stumbled across your pass, as I’m looking to plan a trip to China to explore the Silk Road, could you remember which farm/manufacturer you visited or who helped you arrange the tour, I would be very interested in visiting. Thanks

    Reply

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