Akhil Parashar: Tongxiang, a town of silk culture

In the ceremony, I have experienced the mulberry skill display also. I saw silk reeling, peeling silkworm cocoon, woven cloth, and rolling silkworm flowers. Women were peeling silk pockets by putting the cocoon which were boiled thoroughly into cold water. They were pulling the cocoon silk to the right size and turn it over on hands and arms. They were repeating this procedure until it was thick and heavy. I tried my hand on pulling the cocoon silk, but I was failed, couldn't do that. It's a difficult task but they were doing so fast, may be faster than machine.

Mulberry skill display. [Photo by Akhil Parashar/chinadaily.com.cn]

I saw the dragon-shaped straw which is the equipment for silkworms' cocooning. People were making dragon-shaped straw by putting together several straw ropes without the ear of rice, then twisted them into a strand of straw. They continued to twist them into two strands of straw, and then tied the two strands to one side. Afterwards, put straw in the middle of the two strands slowly. One person puts straw, and the other shakes the strand, then dragon-shaped straw appears. I saw all these things for the first time in my life.

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