Beijing Day 3 - The Silk Factory

We started this morning with a lot to do. Today we had to check out of our hotel prior to leaving to do a little more sightseeing before our flight to Nanchang. We got all of our luggage together and checked out and then went to breakfast where we met some “home folks.” A man at breakfast stopped us because Steve had his Alabama sweatshirt on which made him recognizable to the Fairfield, Alabama native. His friend was from Tennessee and they are both living in Houston now. One guy was a doctor and the other a lawyer. They try to travel somewhere every three months or so together and China was their destination this time. We were able to ask them a few questions about baggage for our Air China flight. It was nice talk to people like us in English.
We then met up with our guide and driver and headed to the silk factory. We had booked the Hutong tour, but they take you to these Government Factories before your tours each day and make you stay a certain amount of time and they get paid. It was very interesting to see how they take this worm and the process of making the silk. The guide that was telling us the process was very hard to understand through his strong accent. But the visual of the process was really amazing. We didn’t purchase any silk items because we feel we can buy the same things in Nanchang and Guangzhou and our luggage is already stuffed to the gills.

















They had everything you can imagine made of silk. Purses, comforters, pillows, scarves, framed silk pictures, clothing and so much more.















This was us standing by a lady putting the silk on very large spools.
















This is where the little cocoons were put in water and somehow the silk came out of them onto these spools up top.