An Explanation on “Bathing Silkworm Eggs”in Ancient China from the Perspective of Functional Culturology

Li Fa;Xiang Zhonghuai;Institute of Chinese Language and Documents,Southwest University;State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology;

Bathing silkworm eggs;;Totem worship;;Ritual protocol;;Embryonic development;;Cleaning and disinfection

"Bathing silkworm eggs"is virtually a technological approach for enhancing the quality of silkworm eggs. However,in eyes of the ancient people,it was firstly a holy faith ritual that infiltrated the meaning of primitive totem worship and owned systematic ritual protoclos. Until Beiwei Dynasty,"bathing silkworm eggs"started to gain scientific awareness. Objectively,this practice accelerated the embryonic development of silkworms,cleaned and disinfected surfaces of silkworm eggs,and discarded inferior eggs. As seen from the excavation of historical materials,"bathing silkworm eggs"had changed dramatically from Zhou Dynasty to Qing Dynasty,reflecting that ancient people had accumulated rich practical experiences for effectively selecting and preserving excellent silkworm eggs. In view of the developing level of modern sericulture science and technology,"bathing silkworms eggs"practiced by ancient people had many shortcomings,however,it is still a valuable cultural heritage presented by our ancestors.