Yanbian Mulberry Silkworm Cocoons

Yanbian Mulberry Silkworm Cocoons

Yanbian Mulberry Silkworm Cocoons are a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Yanbian has unique natural resource advantages in developing the sericulture industry. The cocoons produced here feature long silk filaments, high reelability rates, and superior silk quality ranking first in the province, making them inspection-exempt export products.

　　As one of the leading industries in Yanbian County’s rural economy, the “Southern Silk Road” passing through what is now Liangshan and Panzhihua in the 4th century introduced mulberry tree germplasm, leading local residents along the route to begin cultivation.

　　In the early 1990s, the Yanbian County Party Committee and County Government identified five major industries—“black, white, green, color, and electricity”—officially listing sericulture as one of the five pillar industries for economic development. The cocoons produced had filament lengths of up to 1,200 meters, reelability rates exceeding 80%, and top-tier silk quality in the province. All were exported, earning the national inspection-exempt status as “No. 16” silkworm cocoons. By the mid-1990s, the County Party Committee and Government proposed an agricultural development strategy to build seven major bases: “mulberry, vegetables, fruit, livestock, fishery, tobacco, and tea.” For a time, the mulberry sericulture and silk industry served as a primary source of the county’s fiscal revenue.

　　In 2003, mulberry varieties suitable for both fruit and leaf production were gradually promoted. While developing the sericulture industry, the mulberry fruit industry also expanded. In addition to silkworm cocoons, sericulture products now included mulberries and silk quilts. By 2006, the Yanbian sericulture and silk industry chain was further extended, forming a relatively complete “mulberry–cocoon–silk–quilt” production chain.

　　In 2012, Yanbian’s “Yanbian Mulberries” received national agricultural product geographical indication registration from the Ministry of Agriculture. The “Tianchenjin” brand silk quilts won the “2012 National Agricultural Fair Gold Award” and were included in the “Sichuan Province 2013 Directory of Famous and High-Quality Products.”

　　In 2014, Yanbian County was awarded the title of “Key Mulberry Sericulture Industry Base County of Sichuan Province.” Its Huimin Township and Yumen Town were designated by the National Sericulture Industry Technology Center as the “National Public Welfare Industry (Agriculture) Scientific Research Project Mulberry Resource Base” and the “National Sericulture Industry Technology System Mulberry Diversified Development Demonstration Base,” respectively.

　　The sericulture industry in Yanbian County began taking shape in the early Qing Dynasty. Through generations of hard work, it has gradually moved toward standardization and large-scale development, creating a pathway to prosperity for local communities.

　　Yanbian Mulberry Silkworm Cocoons

　　Cotton, Hemp, Mulberry, and Sericulture

　　Geographic Scope

　　The protected area for the Yanbian Mulberry Silkworm Cocoons geographical indication agricultural product includes 16 towns (townships) in Yanbian County, Panzhihua City: Yumen Town, Yongxing Town, Huimin Township, Guosheng Township, Ganyu Township, Qinghe Township, Wenquan Township, Hongbao Township, Gesala Township, Gonghe Township, Hongguo Township, Tongzilin Town, Yimin Township, Hongge Town, Xinjiu Township, and He’ai Township. The geographic coordinates span 101°06′17″ to 101°47′45″ east longitude and 26°47′46″ to 27°07′35″ north latitude, extending east to the eastern boundary of Gonghe Township, south to the southern boundary of He’ai Township, west to the western boundary of Wenquan Township, and north to the northern boundary of Hongbao Township. The protected area covers 265,000 hectares, with an annual production of 10,000 tons.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　1. External Sensory Features: Yanbian Mulberry Silkworm Cocoons are large and uniform in shape, with thick cocoon layers, snow-white color, fluffy cocoon husks, and no visible surface contamination. 2. Internal Quality Indicators: The cocoons have a reelable filament length of ≥900 meters, cleanliness score of ≥96.5, purity score of ≥94.5, cocoon shell silk extraction rate of ≥37.5%, and reeling faults per 10,000 meters of ≤2.5. 3. Quality and Safety Standards: Yanbian Mulberry Silkworm Cocoons comply with relevant national laws and regulations.