The Chinese hold a pivotal role in the origin and development of silk production. While the legendary beginnings attribute the genesis of silk to the Empress Leizu, wife of the legendary Yellow Emperor, the actual roots of sericulture date back to around the Neolithic Period. During the Yangshao culture (circa 5000–3000 BC), the Chinese settlers began silk production, making them pioneers in the art of nurturing silkworms and unraveling their silk cocoons.
The Chinese carefully protected their silk-making techniques, maintaining a state secret for millennia. The Western world remained in the dark about the intricate process of silk production until the 6th century AD. As the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I sought to break the monopoly, two Nestorian monks covertly smuggled silkworm eggs hidden within their hollowed walking staffs to Constantinople. Thus began the proliferation of silk production in Europe.
Despite the sharing of the methods, the Chinese retained their supremacy in the industry for many years due to their unmatched skills in the breeding of superior silkworm breeds, the mastery of sericultural techniques, and the refinement of silk weaving methods. This enabled the creation of exquisitely crafted silk fabrics of extraordinary quality, softness, and lustrous sheen, establishing Chinese silk as a luxury and status symbol highly prized around the globe.