English: This jacket is made of silk. The Chinese were the first to invent silk production several centuries ago. With increased travel and trading, the secret of silk production (sericulture) eventually reached other parts of the world. Silk is now used to make clothes, shoes and many other products. Today, the Chinese are still considered the finest silk merchants in the world.

Object description: This is a bright blue silk jacket. Embroidery is on the cream cuffs, around the collar, down the centre front, bottom and half way up the sides. All cream areas are piped with black silk. There are bright orange, purple, yellow, red, blue, grey and green embroidery. Motifs include butterflies, peonies and orchids. It is fully lined with blue habutae silk and was donated to the Queensland Museum in 1950. History:

Chinese legend suggests silk production was discovered by Lady Hsi-Ling-Shih. She was the wife of the mythical Yellow Emperor, who was said to have ruled China in about 3000 BC. She discovered that unwinding the cocoon of silkworms would produce a shining strong thread. That is how silk production was invented. The motifs on the jacket have special meaning in Chinese culture. Butterflies are the emblem of joy, peonies for feminine beauty, and orchids for love and beauty.