Luoyang's Silk Goes Abroad to Tell "Chinese Stories"
Chu Xiaoli showcases a silk product. [Photo by the interviewee]
Recently, at the 61st edition of Filo, the international yarns and fibers exhibition in Milan, Italy, silk products from Song County made a stunning appearance, attracting the attention of many exhibitors.
The booth of Songzhou Silk exuded "cultural confidence" with a dazzling array of products and professional staff. The exhibitor Chu Xiaoli deliberately wore a horse-face skirt (mamianqun) and wide-sleeved robe, combining traditional Chinese clothing with silk to present the "Chinese stories" and adding beautiful Oriental colors to Milan reputed as the capital of fashion of the world.
Behind the appearance of Luoyang's silk on the international stage is the extension of the silkworm and mulberry industry chain. From 2019 to the present, relying on the industrial foundation of traditional silkworm and mulberry industry of Song County, Chu Xiaoli and her colleagues have focused on building the "Mulberry and Silkworm Town" and the "Songzhou Silk" brand. With the technical support of Henan Agricultural University and Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, they planted high-yield and high-quality grafted mulberry trees such as "Nongsang 14" and "Suhao Zhongye", and innovatively introduced the model of "co-construction of mulberry orchards by farmers and enterprises". At the same time, they built a "Mulberry Silkworm Town" by Luhun Lake, encouraging farmers from eight surrounding townships to participate in mulberry planting and silkworm breeding. The mulberry tree planting area reached 23,000 mu (about 15.33 square kilometers), and the average annual income of related farmers increased by over CNY 10,000 per individual.
The "Mulberry Silkworm Town" now serves as an ideal choice for field studies, and picking and camping experiences, contributing to the development of other characteristic industries featuring agricultural products such as soft-seed pomegranates, kiwi fruits, and chili peppers. The town receives an average of 100,000 visitors annually, opening up a new path for the integrated development of agriculture, culture, and tourism.
(Source: Luoyang Daily)
