Mulberry silk lines pockets of villagers

KUNMING - On a steep hill, Yu Shengyi and his wife are busy picking fresh mulberry leaves to feed their silkworms. In two weeks, Yu will sell about 100 kilograms of silkworm cocoons and earn more than 4,500 yuan ($658).

Yu, 34, is a farmer in Longchuan county in Southwest China's Yunnan province. The county is an ideal place to grow mulberry trees and breed silkworms due to its mild weather and abundant rainfall.

Yu's five-member family grew sugar cane on their one hectare of land, earning 30,000 yuan a year, before deciding to raise silkworms.