We spent another day enjoying the beauty of HangZhou. Today we went on a boat ride around the West Lake. Nancy was able to give us a good history lesson as we toured the lake. There are three man-made islands in the lake---the largest being made in 1610 by dredging the lake! On the island, there were teahouses and gardens. The island is a popular place to celebrate the Moon Festival.
After the boat ride, we went on a tour of a silk factory. HangZhou is the start of the Silk Road. I had no idea that making silk was such a laborious task. First of all, the silk worms have to be fed every four hours. They eat only mulberry leaves, which cannot be dusty OR wet. Watching the women in the factory spin the strands from the cocoons was amazing. The strands were so thin---it takes 7 strands to make up one thread. Much of the process still has to be done by hand.
Kevin and I bought several silk outfits for Malia as keepsakes from her province. We bought them all in different sizes so that she'll be able to wear them for years. The colors are luminescent
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