Canjing 蠶經 (Yangcanjing 養蠶經)

Canjing 蠶經, also called Yangcanjing 養蠶經, is a book on silkworm breeding written by Huang Xingzeng 黃省曾 (1490-1540) during the Ming period 明 (1368-1644). It is part of Huang’s collection Nongpu sishu 農圃四書.

The book focuses on the silk industry of the region of Jiaxing 嘉興 and Huzhou 湖州 in the lower Yangtze area. It is thus the oldest book on silk production in southeast China, where the silk industry had flourished since the Song period. The text is divided into nine sections speaking about mulberry cultivation (Yisang 藝桑), silkworm rearing chambers (Gongyu 宮宇), equipment (Qiju 器具), breeding in "joint manners" (Zhonglian 種連), feeding (Yusi 育飼), preparation of racks for cocooning (dengcu 登簇), the selection of cocoons (Zejian 擇繭), spinning, reeling (Qiaoban 繰板), and precautions (Jieyi 戒宜). It systematically introduces the methods and techniques of mulberry cultivation, silkworm rearing, and silk extraction and briefly explains potential issues that may arise during production and operation.

The text is included in the series Guang baichuan xuehai 廣百川學海, Mingshi xueshan 明世學山, Bailing xueshan 百陵學山, Shuofu xu 說郛續, Lüchuang nüshi 綠窗女史, Congshu jicheng chubian 叢書集成初編, Yingyin Yuan-Ming shanben congshu 景印元明善本叢書, and (with the title Yangcanjing 養蠶經, in the Jujia bibei 居家必備.