The diagrams display the life cycle of the silkworm and the process of producing silk cloth through the use of cocoons.
The life cycle of a silkworm has four stages, beginning with the laying of eggs by the silk moth and ending with the formation of the silk cocoon. The life cycle starts when female moths lay eggs on mulberry leaves, and after 10 days, the larvae hatch from the eggs. Within 4-6 weeks, the silkworm larvae eat the mulberry leaves and form silk thread shells. The larvae remain in the silk thread shell for the next 3–8 days, creating an oval cocoon. The final stage lasts for 16 days, during which the silk moth appears from the cocoon and the cycle repeats itself.
For the production of silk cloth, selected cocoons are boiled in water. Then, about 300–900-metre threads are produced by unwinding the cocoons. Now the threads are twisted and dyed; finally, at last, the threads are weaved and the silk is produced.
Overall, the life cycle process of silkworms has 4 stages, and the production of silk cloth has about 6 stages.