Essentials of Sericulture

Essentials of Sericulture, Volume 1: Original Preface

The Shengzu Benevolent Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (reigned 1661–1722). once commissioned the Complete Pictures of Tilling and Weaving Gengzhi Quantu: A famous imperial work using illustrations and poems to promote agriculture and silk production.. Later, the Gaozong Pure Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (reigned 1735–1796). finalized and issued the Comprehensive Compendium of the Seasons and Agriculture Shoushi Tongkao: An expansive 78-volume encyclopedia on farming commissioned in 1742. to be promulgated throughout the empire. How grand were these imperial words! They encompassed the four seas and were not restricted to a single corner of the land.

Yet, when it comes to the people of Huzhou A region in Zhejiang province renowned for producing the world’s finest silk. discussing the specific affairs of Huzhou, we have Master Mao of Hualin’s Manual of Agriculture and Sericulture, which is detailed regarding cultivation but brief on the actual rearing of silkworms. There is also Master Zhang of Xunxi’s Established Rules for Silkworm Affairs, which states what ought to be done but does not explain the reasons why. Readers often find these works leave something to be desired.

I have cultivated a garden in a corner of the city with seven or eight hundred mulberry trees. My elderly mother is an expert in the breeding and rearing of silkworms, and my family has been engaged in the silk profession for many years. Consequently, I have taken the experiences of my life, along with the frequent discussions I have had with farmers and laboring women, and organized them into distinct sections.

I have compiled these into a sequence using the Huzhou dialect. I did not worry about the work being too detailed, nor did I shy away from using "vulgar" In this context, "vulgar" (li) means common, everyday language rather than high literary style. language. In former times, the poems of Grand Preceptor Bai The Tang dynasty poet Bai Juyi (772–846), who reportedly read his poems to an illiterate old woman and revised any part she could not understand. could be understood even by an old woman; my hope is simply that village men and women will likewise be able to understand this.

In this present age, talented scholars emerge in succession. There are examinations of the Classics and commentaries on History; those who write books and establish theories to pass down to future generations and reach distant lands are too numerous to count. With my mediocre abilities, how could I hope to compete in such tasks? However, because I am practiced in the ways of the silkworm, I speak of them.