In the mountain valleys around Zhuanghe, the old folk still brighten at the word ‘fangcan’ — raising tussah silkworms, a trade practised here for over a century. In late spring farmers carry silkworm larvae up to the oak trees and, for the next two months, all but live on the hills, guarding the worms from birds, insects and wind, eating cornmeal and drinking spring water. At autumn harvest the cocoon stations bustle; the silk mill spun indigo and crimson silks for markets far away. For many families, the cocoon season paid for school fees and New Year clothes. The mills are gone now, but the oak woods still stand — and with them a generation’s shared memory.