Leizu

Legend has it that Leizu was the wife of the Yellow Emperor. One day she saw silk worms making cocoons in trees and she took some back to the palace. Then she discovered that when soaked in hot water, the cocoons turned soft and yielded shining threads of silk.

After some study, it was discovered that silk threads could be woven into cloth, which warmed the body. Therefore, Leizu taught people to grow mulberry trees and keep silk worms. Silk threads were extracted to make textiles and so people had clothes to wear.