This Directorate printed a set of five stamps depicting silk in an attempt to help the Taiwan populace appreciate and value the traditional manufacturing techniques used in China. Following the set of paper making stamps issued in 1994, and the irrigation skills stamps in 1995, this set is the 3rd in this Directorate's series inspired by the book Tian Gong Kai Wu, written by Sung Yin-shing of the Ming dynasty. These five stamps illustrate the 5 steps of producing silk cloth which are recorded in the book-feeding silkworms, picking out cocoons, degumming raw silk, reeling raw silk, and weaving silk.　　Since ancient times, clothing has been an important aspect of culture. Silk, a very precious material, is said to have been discovered by the Luotzu, Yellow Emperor's concubine, as material for clothing. China, too, was the first country in the world to start feeding silkworms and making cloth from the silk. As early as the Han dynasty, China's production of silk cloths had been known to the world, especially in Europe where people preferred China's silk and silk embroidery. Via the 'Silk Road' of the time, silk goods were taken to Europe and mid-Asia, and in the wake of the good trade relationship, cultural exchange between the West and the East began.