Leizu Raises Silkworms

The First Silkworm Mother

Leizu taught the people to rear silkworms and weave silk, clothing the world.

Leizu, wife of the Yellow Emperor, saw a silkworm spinning its thread and understood that the cocoon could clothe the people. She taught the women of the realm to raise silkworms, reel the silk and weave it into cloth, and the age of fine garments began. Later dynasties honored her at the Altar of the First Silkworm, where the empress herself performed the ritual plucking — the palace joining the fields in thanks.