Silk industry in China

The silk industry in China is one of the oldest industries in the world. Silk is a very fine, strong, and expensive material made from the cocoon of a caterpillar called a silkworm. In China, people have been making silk out of these cocoons since around the year 3000 BC. China is the biggest producer of silk in the world today. They make silk by first collecting the silkworm cocoons and then boiling the cocoons in hot water so the caterpillars can come out. Then, the long thread that was in the cocoon is separated into several very thin threads. After that, the threads are spun together to make yarn, which is stretched into a large fabric. The fabric is then dyed, cut and finished to make clothes, furniture, and other items.