3. Mulberry Leaves

The Mulberry tree, a deciduous woody plant, grows mainly in temperate and sub tropical zones. It exists abundantly in Asia. An earliest country to plant mulberry trees and cultivate silkworms in the world, China has a history of over 5000 years in traditional silkworm and mulberry cultivation. Located on the shore of Lake Taihu, Suzhou has fertile water and soil, and its mulberry trees, mainly of the "Hur" mulberry species. These mulberry trees grow luxuriantly with leaves of rich nutrition. The silkworms bred on such leaves produce high-grade silk of excellent quality. This place had been reputed as the "Land of Silkworm and Mulberry" and the "Home of Silk and Silk Cloth" since ancient times.