Women unwinding silkworm cocoons, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, ca.1930

"Courtesy of Canton Christian College. These three Chinese women are unwinding silk cocoons on primitive hand reels. Beside each woman is a wooden tub of cocoons and a tiny charcoal heater. The cocoons are placed in scalding water to dissolve the sticky cement which binds the threads together. Seven or eight cocoons are unwound together to make one thread of silk." [now Guangzhou] Three women work outdoors, using reels to unwind the cocoons