The reason for the backwardness of Japan: the deadly silkworms

At that time, both China and Japan produced silk, so why did one flourish while the other declined? Could it be that China's silk technology was inferior to that of others?

Moreover, the Chinese adhere to Buddhist principles and place great importance on the life of silkworms, thus making efforts to avoid killing them during the silk reeling process. In contrast, Western silk-producing countries place the silkworm pupae in an oven to kill them before reeling, resulting in higher quality silk. The compassion of the Chinese inadvertently increases their silk processing costs, leading to the production of only semi-finished silk.

The Japanese silkworms not only failed to live out their natural lifespan, but they were also deprived of the right to enjoy their old age. Sericulture and rice cultivation were the two most fundamental industries in agriculture at that time in China and Japan, both sharing a common characteristic: during certain times of the year, farmers would be particularly busy. For instance, during the rice transplanting season, labor was in high demand, and for sericulture, when the silkworms were maturing, they needed to be fed eight times a day, and the feeding trays had to be cleaned several times daily. Sericulturists had to remain constantly close to the silkworms. In the regions of Japan and southern China, the peak busy periods for sericulture and rice cultivation coincided from April to June, which forced farmers to allocate labor for each industry separately, either focusing solely on sericulture or solely on rice cultivation.

Sericulture and rice cultivation complement each other beautifully

Japanese silk has surprisingly surpassed that of China. The reason lies in the compassion of the Chinese people

The "tragic" fate of Japanese silkworms

The silkworms living in China at that time were fortunate, as they benefited from the protection of traditional moral values, allowing them to live long lives. However, in the context of the globalization of the silk industry at that time, the happiness of the silkworms came at the expense of the livelihoods of Chinese silk farmers

The advancement of science and technology has resolved the issue of labor shortages. It has been discovered that by controlling the temperature in silkworm rearing rooms, silkworms can be induced to hatch earlier and mature sooner, or by administering certain chemical agents, they can be made to hatch between July and March, allowing farmers to complete two industries with ease. These technologies have been applied in Japan's sericulture industry, but in China, they continue to face strong opposition from moralists. From 1880 to 1930, Japan's silk production increased nearly ninefold, and the export of silk brought substantial foreign exchange to Japan, enabling it to purchase Western machinery and enhance its productivity. In contrast, during this period in China, moralists protected the 'animal welfare' of silkworms, yet the Chinese sericulture industry felt as if it were on the decline.

The process of extracting silk from silkworm cocoons is known as sericulture. The original method of sericulture involved soaking the cocoons in hot water and manually drawing out the silk, which was then wound onto silk baskets. This method produced silk of uneven thickness and frequent breakage. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, China's silk industry was still using this simple sericulture method. At that time, Europeans had already begun using machines for sericulture, enabling them to process cocoons into bright and uniform silk threads. However, the emergence of modern sericulture factories in China faced opposition from court officials and handicraft guilds, as these factories operated with high efficiency and large output, threatening the livelihoods of the traditional guilds. This also made it difficult for those engaged in traditional sericulture to sustain their livelihoods.

Silkworms in a Moral Society

At this time, Japan, which is closely connected to China by water, is vigorously developing its sericulture industry. Although modern Japan is renowned worldwide for its industrial products, in fact, from the Meiji Restoration until the period before World War II, Japan's most important export was not industrial goods, but agricultural products, among which silk accounted for the largest share. During the 60 years following Japan's opening to the world after the Restoration, the products it imported were all paid for by the export of silk.

From ancient times to the present, silk has been an important export product of China. The silk trade gave rise to the renowned "Silk Road" that connected China to Europe. Around the year 200 AD, the technology of sericulture was introduced to Japan, leading the Japanese to begin raising silkworms, reeling silk, and processing it into silk. However, by the late Qing Dynasty, Japan's sericulture industry surged, seizing China's position in the global silk market, and it even ascended to become the world's leading producer and exporter of silk. Japan's national strength continued to grow, while China remained in silk production, yet its status gradually declined. By the late Qing Dynasty, Japan's sericulture industry surged, seizing China's position in the global silk market, and it even ascended to become the world's leading producer and exporter of silk. Japan's national strength continued to grow, while China remained in silk production, yet its status gradually declined.

The true answer is unexpected: Chinese people do not kill silkworm pupae, while Japanese people do kill silkworm pupae

Why did the sericulture industry in Japan develop rapidly? One important factor is that although Japan was also a Buddhist country in ancient times, after the Meiji Restoration, people's views became increasingly open, and they did not place great importance on the lives of silkworms. As a result, modern innovations such as drying ovens and silk reeling factories were quickly promoted in Japan. The silkworms were killed in the drying ovens, but the quality of Japanese silk improved significantly, soon surpassing that produced in China, becoming the most popular fine silk in Asia. Therefore, modern innovations such as drying ovens and silk reeling factories were quickly promoted in Japan, leading to the silkworms being killed in the drying ovens, while the quality of Japanese silk continued to rise, quickly surpassing that produced in China and becoming the most sought-after fine silk in Asia