Tussah silkworms are one of Yingkou’s key local specialties, with a breeding history stretching over 300 years. Artificial rearing of tussah silkworms began as early as the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty, later spreading to Zhuanghe, Xiuyan, Haicheng and other regions. Yingkou is the area in Liaoning and Northeast China with the earliest and longest history of large-scale tussah cultivation.

Tussah silkworm breeding bases are concentrated in the eastern mountainous areas of Dashiqiao City and Gaizhou City. The city holds 2.5 million mu of tussah forests, accounting for 51.5% of the total land area across 30 mountain townships — the largest land resource occupied by any agricultural sector in Yingkou. By breed origin, local tussah silkworms fall into four major strains: green silkworm, yellow silkworm, indigo silkworm and silver-white silkworm.