Luxe.CO Silk Culture Column | Exploring the Origin of China’s Finest Raw Silk: Xichang Silkworm Seed Farm

The Luxe.CO Silk Culture Column follows the trail of China’s key high-quality raw silk producing regions, diving deep into the source of sericulture to uncover that the foundation of silk production lies in the silkworm seed. The breed of the silkworm directly impacts both the quantity and quality of raw silk. As the market demand for premium raw silk continues to rise, the importance of superior silkworm seeds has become increasingly prominent.

If the Liangshan silkworm cocoons, responsible for producing 50% of the world’s top-grade raw silk, are the crown jewel at the upstream of China’s silk industry chain, then Xichang silkworm seed is the oyster shell that nurtured that jewel.

Xichang silkworm seed originates from the Xichang Silkworm Seed Farm, part of the Xichang City Cocoon and Silk Corporation in Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province (hereinafter referred to as “Xichang Silkworm Seed Farm”). Known as “China’s No.1” both domestically and internationally, the farm holds this title not only because it is the largest silkworm seed farm in the country, but also because its selected silkworm strains produce premium-quality raw silk.

Xichang is the capital of the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in southwestern Sichuan Province and was a key hub along the ancient Southern Silk Road. Located in the heart of the Anning River Plain at an elevation of 1,500 meters, Xichang enjoys a warm winter, cool summer, and spring-like weather year-round, with an average annual temperature of 18°C and over 2,500 hours of sunshine annually. The area is rich in water, heat, and light resources.

The Xichang Silkworm Seed Farm, established in 1975 on the banks of the Anning River, mainly produces silkworm seeds from two Sichuan-bred strains: 781×7532 and Chuanshan×Shushui. The farm maintains a hybridization rate of over 99.5%, a disease-free rate exceeding 96%, and a 100% pass rate for seed quality year after year.

The 781×7532 strain is a high-multifilament variety used in summer and autumn. It is known for its strong hybrid vigor, high resistance to stress, high yield, and excellent silk quality. The Chuanshan×Shushui strain is a versatile high-multifilament variety for both spring and autumn, and excels in silk reeling length (the continuous filament length reeled in a single process—the longer, the better), reeling efficiency (the easier it is to reel, the higher the cocoon quality), cleanliness, and raw silk yield. It adapts well to hot and humid climates and is suitable for producing high-grade raw silk, including those graded 5A and above.

According to a 2022 report by Liangshan Daily, the Xichang Silkworm Seed Farm produces and sells 500,000 seed sheets annually, accounting for one-third of Sichuan’s total output. The Sichuan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has recognized it as the “largest in scale, best in quality, and most competitive general-purpose seed production farm in Sichuan.”

The farm produces silkworm seeds through an order-based system, distributing them across more than 20 silkworm-producing regions in China, including Sichuan, Yunnan, Guangxi, Shandong, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Xinjiang. For nearly 20 consecutive years, it has also exported seeds to Central Asian countries such as Tajikistan and Afghanistan, where it has earned the reputation of “China’s No.1.”

Starting in fall 2024, Xichang Silkworm Seed Farm will collaborate with Ninan South Silk Road Group to jointly develop a silkworm base in Ningnan County—the largest origin of top-grade raw silk globally.

For decades, the Xichang Silkworm Seed Farm has also been actively upgrading its technologies and promoting modernized, intelligent management. In 2019, it launched the Xichang Modern Agricultural Sericulture Seed Industry Park, adding and renovating 7,100 square meters of silkworm houses. The park focuses on breeding high-quality silkworm seeds, while also engaging in cocoon production, sericulture product processing, silk and cocoon processing, educational outreach, and promotion of its proprietary “Heisha River” sericulture brand.

Currently, the park has developed more than 6,000 mu (approximately 990 acres) of mulberry fields, located around the farm and in various administrative areas of Xichang such as Xinxing Village, Ningyue Village, and Anning Village in Lizhou Town, as well as Xiwa Village and Wuxing Village in Langhuan Town.

The mulberry fields employ advanced sericulture technologies such as drone-based disinfection, intelligent sprinkler irrigation systems, and rotary tillers for planting, with over 95% mechanized operations. The farm’s dedicated seed breeding base uses an intelligent management system for seed production to control cocoon output and quality at the source, ensuring 100% coverage with superior strains.

The park also promotes eco-friendly cultivation methods adapted to local conditions, including mulberry fruit processing, edible mushroom cultivation using mulberry branches, organic fertilizer production, rational intercropping, and integrated farming. All mulberry and silkworm products have obtained domestic organic certification. In 2023, Xichang Silkworm Seed Farm also received EU organic certification for its silkworm seeds.

The farm has significantly contributed to local employment and income growth. According to the WeChat account “Xichang Fabu,” by 2020, the park had established 6,100.2 mu (about 1,005 acres) of sericulture farming bases, raised 18,300 silkworm seed sheets, and produced 16,470 dan (approximately 823,500 kg) of cocoons. Local farmers earned RMB 28.823 million [approx. USD 3.95 million] from cocoon sales, with an average income increase of RMB 48,600 [approx. USD 6,650] per household.

｜Sources: WeChat accounts “Xichang Fabu,” “Sichuan Silk,” “Xichang Silkworm Seed Farm,” Liangshan Daily, official websites of Ningnan County Government and the Sichuan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs

｜Image Credit: WeChat accounts “Liangshan Culture & Tourism,” “Xichang Silkworm Seed Farm”

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