Leizu was a girl from the Xiling tribe. It is said that while hunting on the Western Hills, the Yellow Emperor saw a girl breeding silkworms and getting raw silk under mulberry trees, which he had never seen before.Feeling surprised, he approached to her and asked:" I 'd like to learn this technique. Would you please teach it to me?" The Girl answered:" My parents said that I could teach it only to my husband." The Yellow Emperor looked at her from top and toe. She was undistinguished in appearance, yet she was big, strong and handy. So he proposed to her and designated her as Principle Consort. That girl was Leizu.
The emperor then asked her to teach people to breed silkworms, reel silk from cocoons and weave brocade. It was only then that people began to wear cloth and silk instead of leaves and hides. People in later times all regarded Leizu as the mother of sericulture. In the period of Yuanjia of the Southern Song Dynasty, People set up the Altar of the Gods of Agriculture, and worshipped her as the mother of Sericulture ever since.
This is an interesting Chinese myths, which I have never heard before (:P). Zou Li has been created a series of paintings about those great women from Chinese myths and real history. Even though my Chenglish is a bit awful...lol...It could be great to let you know more about the Chinese culture with both of pictures and text.
I hope you would be insterested in her paintings and stay tubed!
