Ep. 179 | The Ancient History of Silk
This particular topic might have been one of the first ten topics I came up with when I began writing the original list back in 2010. The history of silk is really an amazing testament to humankind’s ingenuity and the randomness of life since Neolithic times. I hope you enjoy this episode. It turned out to be a much greater story than I was ever aware of.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Cháng’ān | 长安 | Present day Xian in Shaanxi Province |
| Chéngdū | 成都 | The capital city of Sichuan province |
| Cán | 蚕 | a silk-worm |
| Cán Nǎina | 蚕奶奶 | The Goddess of Silkworms |
| Dèng Xiǎopíng | 邓小平 | Chairman of China Bridge Association and great Chinese leader during 20th century |
| Fújiàn | 福建 | Province in China |
| Huángdì | 黄帝 | The Yellow Emperor |
| Huāxià | 华夏 | The collective tribes that made up ancient core Han Chinese civilization |
| Hàn Wǔdì | 汉武帝 | Great Western Han Dynasty emperor |
| Hétián | 和田 | Formerly called Khotan…a great trading kingdom in present day Xinjiang |
| Jìn Dynasty | 晋朝 | Dynasty in China: 265-420 CE |
| Kǒngfūzǐ | 孔夫子 | Confucius |
| Léi Zǔ | 嫘祖 | Other name of Xi Ling Shi by which she is more commonly known |
| Lǐ Jì | 礼记 | Book of Rites |
| Míng Dynasty | 明朝 | Second to the last dynasty…1368-1644 |
| Nánjīng | 南京 | Capital city of Jiangsu province |
| nǚgōng | 女红 | the feminine arts |
| Qiánlóng | 乾隆 | Emperor during the heyday of the Qing Dynasty, 1735-1796 |
| Qiánshānyàng | 钱山漾 | town at the south end of Lake Tai near Húzhōu |
| Qīng Dynasty | 清朝 | The last imperial dynasty in China – 1644-1911 |
| Qīngtaí | 清台村 | Village in the northwest corner of Zhengzhou on the south bank of the Yellow River |
| Shén Nóng | 神农 | The Divine Farmer, god of agriculture and many other things |
| Shāng Dynasty | 商朝 | China’s first “official dynasty,” lasted from 1600 to 1046 BCE |
| Shānxī province | 山西省 | Province in China |
| Shǐ Jì | 史记 | Records of the Grand Historian |
| Suí | 隋朝 | Dynasty in China from 581-618 |
| Sòng Dynasty | 宋朝 | Dynasty in China….960-1279 |
| Sūzhōu | 苏州 | City in Jiangsu Province |
| Táng | 唐朝 | Dynasty in China 618-907 |
| Wǔyí Mountains | 武夷山 | Mountains in northern Fujian where some of the best tea in the world comes from |
| Xià County | 夏县 | County in south Shanxi on the border with Henan |
| Xī Líng Shì | 西陵氏 | The discoverer of silk and the primary wife of the Yellow Emperor |
| Yángshuò County | 阳朔县 | One of the great sightseeing centers of China, near Guilin |
| Yǎngsháo Wenhua | 仰韶文化 | Yangshao Culture in China..5000 to 3000 BCE more or less |
| Zhèngzhōu | 郑州 | City in Henan |
| Zhāng Qiān | 张骞 | Great Western Han Dynasty adventurer, instrumental in getting the Silk Road up and running |
| Ānhuì | 安徽 | Province in China |
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