Three-day silk tour in Suzhou
During the journey, you’ll explore the origins and the essence of the silk culture along the ancient Silk Road in Wujiang district, Suzhou, China’s "silk capital". You can experience the silk production process, from cocoons to beautiful silk products, in the Silk Village in Shengze town; take a nostalgic trip through the ancient bridges and winding waterways in Tongli, a beautiful water town which is often called the Oriental Venice. You can also find out about the local textile industry development by visiting linen and silk enterprises in the Zhenze town and enjoy a refreshing trip cruising down the east Taihu Lake.
Day 1: You'll get to know the silk culture and its craftsmanship in the Shengze Town. Visit the Xiancan Temple where local farmers pray for a good harvest of cocoons; see the "new Chinese-style" coats and dresses worn by world leaders and their spouses at the Beijing APEC summit held in November 2014 at the Song Brocade Cultural Park; and have a closer look at the process of how the silk products are made out of cocoons at the Silk Village.
Covering an area of 150 square kilometers, Shengze the silk town is an important production base for silk fabrics and historically famous for "producing ten thousands of silks and brocades a day for people across China to wear". Historically, Shengze Town together with Hangzhou, Suzhou and Huzhou were "the Four Silk Capitals" in ancient China. There is a tradition for people to pray for a good harvest of cocoons after watching Xiaoman (or Grain Full, one of the 24 solar terms) opera at the Xiancan Temple. [Photo/jstour.com] |
At the Song Brocade Cultural Park in Shengze, you’ll see "new Chinese-style" Song brocade coats and dresses, which impressed world leaders and their spouses at the welcome banquet of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November 2014. Originated in the Song Dynasty (AD 960-1279) in Suzhou, Song brocade, with its flashy colors and exquisite patterns, is one of China’s three famous brocades, together with Nanjing Yunjin brocade and Sichuan Shu brocade. [Photo/asianewsphoto] |
At the Huajia Silk Village, you can get to know how the silk fabrics are made out of cocoons to make silk products. The industrial processes of breeding silkworms, feeding the larva, spinning the cocoon and stoving the chrysalis are presented to visitors in different rooms, all of which making a fascinating experience for any visitor. There are dyehouse and weaving machines to show how the silk yard turn into colorful silk products. You can buy your desired products at the shopping area where a variety of high-quality silk products are available. [Photo/chinasilkvillage.com] |
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