Smuggling Domesticated Silkworms along the Silk Roads | Curator's Corner S9 Ep8

At some point around AD 600-700, a legend started spreading about a princess who snuck mulberry tree seeds and silkworm eggs into the Buddhist kingdom of Khotan (present-day northwest China). Sericulture, the ancient Chinese technique of silk farming, had been kept a secret for thousands of years. Integral to this technique were silkworms that had been bred to evolve into moths without wings, and needed a strict diet of white mulberry tree leaves (morus alba). Khotan desperately wanted access to this incredibly lucrative business, and so a political marriage (with a little act of matrimonial smuggling) was arranged with a princess from a nearby 'eastern kingdom'. The princess hid mulberry tree seeds and silkworm eggs in her headdress, crossed the border, married the king, introduced sericulture to her new kingdom, guaranteed that her wardrobe was continually updated with fresh silk robes and eventually became a venerated figure of near-saintly status - not bad for a single day's smuggling? Join curator Yu-ping Luk for a legendary journey along the Silk Roads. Silk Roads EXHIBITION TICKETS: https://shorturl.at/i4tga Supported by The Huo Family Foundation Additional supporters James Bartos The Ruddock Foundation for the Arts Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation CONTENT WARNING: You may end up feeling like you didn't quite achieve enough on your own wedding day. You aren't a legendary princess in the 7th c. You are enough. No silkworms were harmed in the making of this video. The same can't be said for your silk dressing gown (unless it came from Khotan!). 0:39 Silk Princess Painting British Museum 1:00 The Legend of the Silk Princess 2:38 What is Sericulture? 4:28 History of Silk production in China 5:25 How did Sericulture Silk Farming get to Khotan? 7:40 The Spread of Buddhism on the Silk Roads 8:38 Dadan-Uiliq #curatorscorner #silkroad #silk