这位教人养蚕的先人，古书里写作「嫘祖」。司马迁《史记·五帝本纪》记载：「黄帝居轩辕之丘，而娶于西陵之女，是为嫘祖。嫘祖为黄帝正妃。」后世把她尊为「先蚕」，历代都有祭祀先蚕的礼仪，北京北海公园里至今还保存着清代皇家祭祀先蚕的「先蚕坛」。

In ancient texts, the woman who taught people to raise silkworms is called Leizu. The Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian says that the Yellow Emperor lived on Xuanyuan Hill and married a woman from Xiling named Leizu, who became his principal wife. Later generations honoured her as the First Sericulturist, dynasty after dynasty held ceremonies in her honour, and the Altar of the First Sericulturist, where Qing emperors and empresses held these rites, still stands in Beihai Park in Beijing.

中国养蚕的历史，考古学也给出了证据：1926年，考古学家李济在山西夏县西阴村的遗址里，发现了半个被人工切割过的蚕茧，距今约五六千年。浙江、河南等地的古遗址里，也陆续出土过丝织品残片，证明中国是世界上最早养蚕缫丝的国家。

Archaeology also offers evidence for the long history of silk in China. In 1926 the archaeologist Li Ji found half of a silkworm cocoon, cut by human hands, at Xiyin Village in Xia County, Shanxi, dating back some five to six thousand years. Fragments of ancient silk have also been found at sites in Zhejiang, Henan and elsewhere, showing that China was the first country in the world to raise silkworms and reel silk.

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