The making of silk generally refers to the process of dividing raw silk from cocoons into strands horizontally and vertically. before weaving them together into pieces of fabric.

The actual manufacture processes of various silks vary. but can be generally categorized into two types: sheng zhi and shu zi.

In the sheng zhi process. weavers weave the raw silk into fabrics first. and then scour (clean) and bleach the fabrics. This process. which has lower costs and a shorter process. is currently the major way of making silk.

In the shu zhi method. weavers scour and bleach the longitude and latitude silks from cocoons first before actually weaving them. The woven products no longer need further processing and can be directly used. The method is usually used to produce advanced silk fabrics like brocade. 

Before the silk is woven. a lot preparations need to be done beforehand. like soaking the raw silk to soften the product. Meanwhile. as silk is very apt to absorb moisture. to make the silk damp-proof is very important before the weaving.

In terms of the silk pattern. the weaving methods can be generally divided into the common and jacquard methods. The former refers to the flat silk fabrics that have no weaved patterns. while the latter refers to the fabrics that are usually done by a jacquard loom (a loom that is mechanized to weave specific patterns).

When the silk fabrics are ready. the next step is the dyeing process (which is crucial in the whole procedure of making colorful and beautiful silk). With the dyeing technologies. the raw silk can be turned into flawless silk with patterns and colors to people`s desire.

In ancient China. once the cloth had been weaved. embroidery was used to give the cloth its delicate. often brilliant patterns. The Four Renowned Embroideries of China were regional in their origin: Su embroidery originated from East China`s Jiangsu Province; Yue embroidery originated from South China`s Guangdong Province; Xiang embroidery originated from Central China`s Hunan Province; and Shu embroidery originated from Southwest China`s Sichuan Province.