Thai Silk Weavers

In China, silk has been cultivated and woven for an estimated 5000 years, while in Thailand it began around 2 000 years ago. The production in Thailand is likely due to a combination of two factors, smuggled silk worms and Chinese businessmen seeking better areas to grow the worms.

The production of silk diminished in Thailand from the turn of the last century until after WWII, as a result of the distaste Theravada Buddhists had for killing the silk worms (a necessary step in silk-making) and the influx of cheap machine-made silk from China. Certain pockets however, such as a Muslim Ban Krua Cham and villages in North-Eastern Thailand where religious views were more relaxed and integrated with other tenants and beliefs) kept the skills of silk making alive.

Read more - Thai Silk Weavers Story.