Sericulture or silk production has a long and interesting history. For more than two thousand years the Chinese kept the secret on silk production to themselve and the process of making silk was unknown to most people. It was the most zealously guarded secret in history. Howeveer, sericulture finally reached Korea around 200BC, when waves of Chinese immigrant arrive there.
Silk production is a lengthy process and it demands constant close attention. Period in which the moth is hatched and the diet on which the silkworm should needs to be in good condition in order to produce high quality silk. The eggs must be kept at a warm temperature of 65 degrees F and gradually increased to 77 degrees at which point they hatch. After the eggs hatch, the baby worms feed on fresh mulberry leaves until they grow big. The silkworms eat until they have stored up enough energy to enter the cocoon stage. In order to build their cocoons, the worms produce a jelly-like substance in their silk glands that hardens when it comes into contact with air. Silkworms normally spend three or four days spinning cocoon around themselves until they become puffy, white balls. After nine days in a warm, dry place, the cocoons are ready to be unwound. First they are steamed or baked to kill the worms, or pupas. The cocoons are then dipped into hot water to loosen the tightly woven filaments. These filmants are unwound onto a spool. Each cocoon is made up of a filament between 600 and 900 meters long. Between five and eight of these super-fine filaments are twisted together to make one thread. Then, the silk threads are woven into cloth or used for embroidery work. Clothes made from silk are not only beautiful and lifhtweight but also warm in cool weather and cool in hot weather.
Reeling silk and spinning were always considered household duties for women, while weaving and embroidery were carried out in workshops as well as the home. In every silk-producing province, the daughters, mothers, and grandmothers of every family devoted a large part of the day for six months in a year to the feeding, tending, and supervision of silkworms and to the unraveling, spinning, weaving, dyeing, and embroidering of silk.
The silk used in clothing is significant in Korean culture. Tradition Korean ceremonial dress uses draping folds of silk fabric for the skirt. The dress snitches at the waist with a wide sash. The top fits to the torso with long billowing sleeves and large, open cuffs. The most distinctive aspect of the skirt is the back portion that folds over the sash midway up the back. These elaborate gowns were created almost completely of silk. Both color and cut of the silk gives a clue to the person's status.
Also, many Korean paintings display landscapes using long, fluid strokes on silk canvas. Silk absorbs the paint readily, so it won't smear after application. Silk is very smooth, and when processed, makes a flat canvas that does not disrupt the fluidity of the brushstrokes. Paintings depicting the Korean countryside were especially popular during the Choson period from 1392 to 1910. Genre paintings paying homage to everyday people performing day-to-day tasks leave a visual record of Korea's history on silk. Another popular subjecy is the "Four Gracious Plants," or the four plants that represent each season: plum blossoms, chrysanthemums, wild orchids, and bamboo.
Source:
"History of Sericulture." Insects.org. Web. 12 Dec. 2011. <http://www.insects.org/ced1/seric.html>.
