Akhil Parashar: Tongxiang, a town of silk culture

I've been living in China for last eight years and working for a state-run media. I often get a chance to visit different places in China because of my reporting and business trip. The more I travel in China and learn about the country, the more fascinating it becomes. I fell in love with the land, the people, the culture, the achievements, and everything else that makes the country unique. My desire to come to China started as a thirst to experience new culture, learn new language and generally expand my horizons. I wanted to explore the unknown. Experiencing a new culture is like stepping into a whole new world. Because I am so fascinated with Chinese culture and tradition, I always love to travel in China.

Last week, I embarked on a trip to Tongxiang, a county-level city, in northern Zhejiang province. The trip, named as "Discover Tongxiang", was co-organized by the government of Tongxiang city and China Daily. On this trip, I got a chance to get a deeper understanding and knowledge of the local culture of Tongxiang, and experiencing traditional folk activities. I felt that Tongxiang has profound historical and cultural connotations. It is a place of great charm and rich cultural heritage. It is known as "home of fish and rice, capital of silk, ground of diversified flowers and land of culture" since ancient times. It enjoys an advantageous geographical location which brings potential.

Akhil Parashar poses for a photo at the activity in Tongxiang, Zhejiang province.[Photo by Akhil Parashar/chinadaily.com.cn]

This time, I was so much fascinated and impressed by the sericulture customs in Tongxiang. Before going to Tongxiang, I didn't know that this city is a well-known sericulture town in the country. I visited Baquan village in Heshan town- the protection place for "silkworm worship ceremony"- and experienced old sericulture customs. Thousands of local people rushed to Heshan town and holding a ceremony to worship the Silkworm Goddess, and other activities to pray for good weather and sericulture harvest.