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Pak Thong Chai Silk Factory
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หมู่บ้านทอผ้าไหมปักธงชัย |
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Beside the silk industries in Chiang Mai, Pak Thong Chai Village
is one of Thailand’s most famous silk-weaving villages and??is
well-known for its delicately and ??high quality beautiful
Khorat-texture silk. Many famous Bangkok Thai-Silk houses set up
their factories here including Jim Thompson. There are more than
70 silk factories in Pak Tongchai area and Thai silk products
(Pha-mai Thai) have been distributed both in the country and
abroad.
In the 30s, Korat silk was the ultimate fabric for a
formal dress and adored by the high society in Bangkok. After
the arrival of polyesters, the Korat silk factories have been on
a decline and for generations, the silk weaving villages of Pak
Thong Chai preserve the art of traditional silk weaving and
every weavers exercise great patience in weaving and produce
exquisite Korat silk as souvenir items at a very reasonable
price.
Silkworms are grown primarily on the Korat Plateau
in the country’s northeast region. As the silkworm feeds on
mulberry bush, it slowly transforms from a larve to pupa stage
and spins a cocoon before??emerging as??a moth.The single strand
of silk that forms the cocoon is about 500m long and it is the
raw silk material. The finished cocoon is pulled from the
mulberry bush and placed in a vat of boiling water, which
separates the silk thread of the cocoon from the caterpillar
inside. The silkworm pupae are rich in oil content and pupal oil
is used in cosmetic industry and the remaining pupal cake is a
rich source of protein suitable for poultry and
fisheries.??Silkworm pupae are full of protein and ??is a
delicacy for the local people in the Northeastern region as a
source of protein and nourishment.
The silk thread of
Thailand’s silkworms is a natural gold colour and many threads
are combined to make a thicker, more practical fiber. The raw
silk threads are passed through a process of bleaching, dyeing
and drying before wind onto drums and sent to weaving shops
where the silk cloth is produced.
Thai silk is one of the
finest fabrics in the world and????it has very distinctive
features as compare??to Chinese, Indian and Italian silks. The
process of manufacturing, the patterns and colors used do make
the silk types varies widely between countries. The art of silk
production is called sericulture and has provided ample
employment opportunities to the people in rural area.
How
to recognise real silk from imitation:
Burn Test
Real
silk is a natural product and when lighted with a flame, it will
leave a fine ash and smell like burnt hair. The threads will
stop burning without the flame. On the other hand, imitation
silk will drip and continue to burn with black smoke after the
flame is taken away. |
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Nakhon Ratchasima |
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Pak Thong Chai |
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City |
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Mueang Pak |
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Local life |
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Entry fee |
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Free |
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GPS : |
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14.70555 N |
102.02150 E |
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