Suzhou....Silk and Gardens

We took a trip to Suzhou yesterday.  It is a small (1 million people or so) town about 2 hour drive from Shanghai.  The city is known for its gardens.  We started the day at a Silk Factory that allows people to walk thru the factory.  We had a personal tour and learned just how manufacturing of silk has not changed in the 100 years or so that the factory was orginially opened. 

Abby got to pick up a couple silk worms....Lindsay and Claire were not so keen on holding the worms.  Thank you Carrie...I have to admit if it had been up to me, Abby would never have done this.  But thanks to you taking Abby "worm hunting" as a 3 year old...she had no problem!!!

The worms only eat one thing...Mulberry leaves.

The worms spin a cocoon.  The silk work eggs and moths below.  The farmers actually boil the cocoon before the moths transform so the silk fiber is not ruined.  They save about 20% for future eggs.  The remaining worms they pull out and use for face creams!!

The assembly line that picks thru bad/good or twin cocoons.  The girls were "helping"!

The machine that actually "unspun" the cocoon.  Each silk thread actually contains 7 strands of silk...but each coccon strand is 1 km long. 

The weaving room...they use punch cards for the design on the silk fabric.

You can see the gray/black silk fabric that this loom is currently spinning.

 Info on silk quilts...(have to double click and zoom in to actually read it though)

 Pulling the twin cocoon that is used to make the silk quilts...the girls deceided it was much more difficult than it looks.

We then visited one of the larger gardens in Suzhou called the Humble Administrator's Garden.  It was incredibly busy which took away from the tranquility of the garden.  We will have to visit some day when it is not so crowed. 

Suzhou is a water town, often called "The Venice of the East".   Here is a canal that runs close to the garden we visited.