Tongxiang's humble silkworm a symbol of China's culture, trade

The time consuming nature of such a harvesting process means silk is still rare - which accounts for its continuing value. But that's not the fault of the silkworms, just one of which can produce 1,000 meters worth of silk in their brief lifetimes.

Those threads go into an incredible variety of products, and as our scientific understanding grows, so do the ways this miraculous material can be used - in everything from upholstery to parachutes to surgical sutures. But of course, the most famous use of silk continues to be in luxurious blankets and fine clothing, and the especially lucky tourist may actually get to help stretch out the impossibly thin layer of silk that goes into making blankets, while wearing the sort of colorful, traditional Chinese garments that once graced the shoulders of emperors and other members of the royal families.

The silk, of course, has become synonymous with Chinese culture and industry, so valuable that it led to the establishment of ancient trade routes across the deserts of Asia, the inspiration for today's Belt and Road Initiative.

Arguably, the best time to visit Tongxiang is during the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday, when the city goes all out to pay homage to the hard-working silkworm. The Silkworm Worship Festival, or Ga Can Hua, attracts thousands of people from throughout China to the usually quiet village, as residents stage a traditional parade complete with dragon dances, children in colorful, traditional costumes and acrobats on stilts.

While presumably, no one still worships the ancient silkworm goddess Leizu, and cattle are no longer sacrificed to ensure a successful "crop", the festival is as colorful as ever, as the people of the city dress head to toe in yellow and red, honoring the diminutive insect that has made their city prosperous for two millennia. After all, doesn't such a hard-working animal deserve to be honored with a festival of its own?

Wuzhen is a famous water town in Tongxiang, East China's Zhejiang province. Provided to China Daily