Silk Worms

I went back to Tiantan(Temple of Heaven) area today.  Went via subway instead of bus.  Took about the same time.  Sometime it just feels faster to keep moving, instead of sitting waiting for buses.  

I wanted to check out the Silk Factory Market.  I jumped in on an Australian couples demo tour of silk worms.  We saw the life cycle of the silk worms as well as some live ones eating mulberry leaves in varying ages of days.  

Silk worms only eat mulberry leaves, this means their poop is good.  Smells like tea(bitter) so they say and can be used in pillows! If they allow the silk worm to turn into a moth and it breaks out, the silk cocoon is ruined and cannot be used to make silk stuff with.  So they put the cocoons in an oven and kill the pupas living inside.  When there is just 1 pupa inside the string has 1 begining and 1 end, easy to find and easy to take to spin for thread. 

When their are two pupas inside, they call it twins and their thread is tangled together, so they use this for making comforters.  They have to boil the hard cocoons to soften them, then put in cool water before undo them.  The twin cocoons are broken open and stretched over a small hill shape, 10 times.  Then moved over to a bigger hill shape from to dry.  These stacks end up getting stretched by several people to be the size of whatever comforter you want.  12 times.  They said 1200 cocoons went into 1 comforter, but I think they ment 120(12x10).  But really it would be double due to the twins.  

The pupas are eaten, a preventative for rheumatoid arthritis.  So they say it's a very green resource as every part of the silk worm is used.  They say silk is like human hair and should only be washed in cold water with shampoo.  The silk worm poop is put into tubes on 1 side of the pillow.  Apparently good for your eye sight.  These pillows supposed to be good, no sweating, but that is what they say about the traditional barley pillows.  They say the pillows will last 7 years at 220 rmb a pop.  Don't wash the whole silk comforter as this will wash away faster the natural oils on the silk(like our hair).  Only spot wash.  If want to wash after 5 years, take to dry cleaning.  Why they would think dry cleaning would be better, especially when they use even harsher chemicals is a mystery to me.  They use duvet covers here, no top sheet.  

  Behind was a Lifestyles Market building.  It was kind of creepy as half the lights were off, only me and the security guard.  I just took a quick look and left.  Some interesting lamps, wall hangings and lacquered pieces.

Next to the Beijing Fine Art Exhibition Hall.  Thought it would be more like a museum.  But no, super fancy "stores" with large jade carved sculptures,  carved ivory tusks,  and old looking vases.  I walked through and out the side to a small alley that curved back to the street lined with small shops of more fine art.  Nothing you would see at the fine art side of any craft show I've ever been too.  In front of the closed stores where flea market like vendors with their blanket spread out and stones, nuts or tarnished copper pieces on it.  

I decided I had to enter the 4 floor jewelry market to say I went in there.  They had some pretty red coral sculptures on the first floor.  What I saw was expensive so I went to the basement.  1 floor of fake flowers, 1 floor appeared to be wholesale souvenirs.  This must be where other stores come to get their stock because the walls were lined with tied up bundles.  They didn't want to give me a good price at the few I went into, I only got a small cloisene owl shaped container for 25rmb, everything else she kept giving me higher and higher prices.  

Back to Toy City for hopefully the last time.  I found old fashioned roller skates here.  Yet another heavy thing I picked up I need to lug home.  Oops.  But at least I can roll with the boys when they go skootering now.  Picked up a few more presents before going to KFC for lunch.  They have a good spicy chicken sandwich I like.  I tried their mash potatoes here.  Very small portion, very instant, watery tasting.  Gravy okay, still peppery like it should be.  But they gave me a hard time trying to cash my 100rmb(this is less than $20).  I'm like that is all I have unless you want my 10.