Cansang cuibian 蠶桑萃編

Cansang cuibian 蠶桑萃編 is a compendium on sericulture compiled by Xu Shuming 徐樹銘 and published by Wei Jie 衛傑 in 1894.

Figure 1. Various steps of silk production from the Cansang cuibian 蠶桑萃編

(繰絲,紡絡, 染色,紡綢)

At the end of the 19th century, the province of Zhili 直隸 (approx. present-day Hebei) set up a government sericulture bureau (cansangju 蠶桑局) in Baoding 保定, with Wei Jie in charge of the technical work. Wei Jie introduced silkworms from Sichuan and selected craftsmen to establish a silkworm industry in the region by teaching the methods of growing silkworms and weaving silk. The book was compiled for this purpose. It is very detailed and easy to understand. In addition to the introduction and evaluation of ancient Chinese silkworm books, the book focuses on the technical aspects of sericulture and silk weaving and dyeing at that time. Three fascicles on the production equipment are enriched with illustrations, accompanied by textual descriptions. Some of them, such as the multi-spindle spinning wheels (duo ding da fangzhi 多錠大紡車), reflect the highest achievements of Chinese silk weaving technology at that time. Quite an interesting aspect not found in other books on silk is the spread of sericulture to Japan and the West (juan 14-15), with information on silk techniques in England and France.