The diagrams illustrate the life cycle of the silkworm and the main stages involved in the production of silk cloth.
Overall, the silkworm develops through a natural four-stage cycle, beginning with the laying of eggs and ending with the emergence of an adult moth. In contrast, the manufacture of silk cloth is a man-made, linear process consisting of several distinct steps.
To begin with, the cycle starts when a moth lays eggs, which take around ten days to hatch into larvae that feed on mulberry leaves. This feeding stage lasts for approximately four to six weeks, after which the silkworms spin silk threads and form cocoons, a process lasting three to eight days. They remain inside the cocoon for about sixteen days before emerging as moths, allowing the cycle to repeat.
Turning to silk production, the first step is the selection of suitable cocoons. These are then boiled in water so that the silk threads can be unwound, typically producing between 300 and 900 metres of filament. Finally, the threads are twisted, woven into cloth, and dyed.