The Transformation of the Silk Weaving Industry in Jiangsu and Zhejiang around the 1911 Revolution

Author(s): Wang Xiang

Source: Historical Research

Abstract: After the Opium Wars,China’s leading silk weaving center,the silk industry in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces underwent intermittent vicissitudes.Generally,however,it maintained a trend of stable development and traditional production patterns.Despite occasional proposals or ideas for innovating the industry using modern science and technology,no substantial steps were taken until the last days of the Qing dynasty.During the 1911 Revolution,the Jiangsu and Zhejiang silk industry was severely affected,forcing it to undertake a joint effort to forge ahead:on the one hand,the industry would promote "using domestic products" to maintain its market position and share;on the other,it would "build plants and purchase equipment",thus ushering in the modern transformation of the traditional Chinese silk weaving industry.