Finding The First Silk Thread

  This is the silk thread production line. Not exactly Ford Motor production line but nonetheless a production line. The women drop 8 cocoons at a time into small pots of boiling water. Our guide claimed the worms inside were already dead when they hit the hot water, but she's also the one who said the air in Shanghai was clean. You decide for yourself whether they are killing the worms or merely loosening the first silk thread. Eight silk threads are then combined and spun into an 8-strand thread of silk. These women stand all day putting their hands in very hot water and using their eyes to detect a tiny silk thread. The lighting was not good, and I didn't see any signs of a place to sit while they worked or rested. This was one of those workplaces that made me squirm. But we bought four silk quilts and two silk pillows. This factory produces one-fifth of China's silk products. More to come on silk.