BEFORE YOU WATCH: Silk and the State in Song Dynasty China

Before you watch

While you watch

1. According to Francesca, where was silk produced in the era of the Song Dynasty, and what were some of the most important export markets?
2. According to Professor Xiaolin Duan, how did the economy work during the Song Dynasty? Who made silk, in particular?
3. Other than clothing, what other uses were there for silk?
4. According to Professor Duan, was the silk trade part of a wider Afro-Eurasian trading system? How?
5. What does the Pictures of Tilling and Weaving tell us about who did most of the work to produce silk?
6. Does Professor Duan believe that there was an industrial revolution in China in this period? What evidence is there for it?

After you watch

1. How does the production and trade of silk impact the government, economy, social interactions, and cultural developments of China?
2. Chinese silk is one example of a local commodity that was traded across extensive regional networks. The silk trade reshaped small communities, the Chinese state, and regional exchange networks across much of Asia. Can you think of anything that is or was once made in your community? Where does that good get distributed? Who produces it? How does that industry affect your community, and how do you think it impacts other places?