Lei Zu

Lei Zu, traditionally said to be the daughter of the Xiling clan and principal consort of the Yellow Emperor, is credited with inventing sericulture and silk reeling. Legend holds that she serendipitously discovered the secret of extracting silk thread from silkworm cocoons, after which she taught the people to cultivate mulberry trees, raise silkworms, reel silk, and weave garments—thereby freeing early Chinese society from reliance on leaves and animal hides and inaugurating the civilised tradition of ritual attire and textile culture in China. She assisted the Yellow Emperor in unifying the Central Plains and bore him two sons, Changyi and Xuanyao. Revered by later generations as the Matriarch of Chinese Civilisation, successive imperial courts established the Altar of the First Silkworm, where empresses performed the solemn 'Personal Sericulture Ritual' annually to honour Lei Zu. In sericultural regions, farmers worship her as the Silkworm Goddess; before each silk-reeling season, they burn incense and pray for luxuriant 'silkworm flowers', abundant cocoons, and flourishing silk enterprises.