Silk

Silk


Silk is a pure and natural fiber that made only by a few sorts of insects. They produce them and people make them into different sort of clothes or accessories. In Ancient China, silk is one of the most classical representatives of Chinese culture because China is also the origin of silk, which made silk become a unique material for global people during that period.

Silk basically comes from the silkworm and different colors. When they are growing, the silk was made. People pick the silk from their shell and use them to make beautiful clothes. Silk is so smooth and soft that most people like it very much. It is natural rather than artificial, it is beautiful and show one’s great taste of clothes. In addition, they used varied colors to those white silk in order to make some different pattern on clothes, such as phoenix, dragon, flowers, birds, etc. They are all the symbols of good luck and peace, that is also the reason that why silk was getting such popular before time. Silk is unexpectedly warm especially during the winter. Although it seems to be really soft and light, it actually provides a great advantage which is it could separate the warmth and cold outside and inside the body. Through this advantage, many people prefer silk made clothes because it is really suited for wearing during the whole year. That is also the point the people are more likely to buy silk rather than clothes that were made by wool and cotton, those relatively uncomfortable materials.

Silk also became the method to communicate with other countries, namely, it was silk which spread Chinese culture to other countries. In the history records, there is a road called silk road, which literally means a road made by silk. During Song dynasty,  people trade silk to other countries in Europe in order to improve own countries’ economy and develop their own culture. Europeans really liked silk and they discovered that it is really smooth that is the new material that they never saw before. Because of the beautiful decorations on the silk clothes, they were attracted by them so that pay a lot of money to buy them. During this period, Asian countries also introduced a lot of ideas and religions to European countries such as Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Asian countries also brought a lot of food and spices to Europe in order to let them taste the new stuff that European never had before. That is also the way to improve the relationship between several countries within one continental. Many artistic influences were transmitted via the Silk Road, particularly through Central Asia, where Hellenistic, Iranian, Indian and Chinese influences could intermix. Greco-Buddhist art represents one of the most vivid examples of this interaction. Silk was also a representation of art. This is because silk served as a religious symbol, and most importantly, silk was used as currency for trade along the silk road.

In nowadays society, silk is being a symbol of fashion and popularity. A lot of people prefer to buy silk accessories and clothes. Those brands such as Alexander McQueen, Burberry, Prada Yves Saint Laurent, and even Hermes, they make scarves by using silk and cashmere. A lot of singers, actors wear those silk scarves and silk outwearing to go to a lot of great ceremonies such as Grammy music awards, Emmy awards, etc. Silk is not only the copyright of China but also a sort of culture for every country in this continent. Silk begins to become a cosmopolitan symbol of fashion in both physical and mental perspectives.

Consequently, silk became a global copyright that suit for everyone in this world and it demonstrate the international character for whole 5 000 years Chinese culture.