Inspired by China's success, the Communists introduced a new "voluntary" contribution to pioneer organizations: raising silkworms. Participation in the construction of the new communist society never ended and there was almost no school in any village that did not have silkworms.

During the spring, silkworms were brought and handed over to families or schools and kindergartens. For 8 weeks they had to be constantly fed with sharp mulberry leaves, which they devoured quickly. Harvesting fresh leaves for them was a fun task for the children, who could hardly wait to climb the trees, and their loud crunching noise remained a vivid memory for many of us.

When the silkworms reached maturity, a few weeks later, and stopped feeding, they would wrapped themselves in silk threads and become cocoons (or donuts). Handed over to the authorities, these donuts were then boiled and spun to make fabrics exported throughout Europe.