Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Also Made in China



Silk
Silk originated in China and is told to have been discovered by the Yellow Emperor's consort, Hsi Leng Shih in 3,000 BC. While sitting under a mulberry tree, a silkworm coccoon fell into her cup of tea, causing the silk thread to unravel from around the worm. This empreess then began raising silkworms and invented the loom. Recent archeological evidence contradicts this story with findings dating back as far as 7,000 BC.
At first, only royalty were allowed to wear silk, and favorite colors were white and yellow. Eventually, silk was introduced to commoners and to other countries and became a vital part of the Chinese economy.

info gathered from: http://www.whoinventedit.net/who-invented-silk.html

Paper Money
Paper money was not used in the west until the 17th century, but was institutionalized as a government policy in China in the Song dynasty, (960-1279 AD). This would not have been possible at all without the invention of printing. Because of paper currency, people could save metals such as copper and zinc for making useful items and carry less weight in their pockets.
The Chinese learned important lessons as the first civilization to use paper currency. The government and citizens had to deal with problems such as inflation, counterfeiting, and depreciation.

info gathered from: http://www.silk-road.com/artl/papermoney.shtml

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