National 3A-Level Scenic Area: Yunsha Xingyun
Xiangyun silk—a fabric born from the interplay of sunlight, dioscorea cirrhosa root, river mud, and the skilled hands of artisans—is hailed as the "soft gold" of textiles. It breathes with every step, translucent yet not sheer. Its creation involves 72 meticulous steps, including "three steamings, nine boilings, and eighteen sunbaths," each process varying "with the weather and the place," ensuring that every bolt of fabric is utterly unique. In 2023, the Yunsha Xingyun Xiangyun Silk Intangible Cultural Heritage Park, which preserves this thousand-year-old craft, took root in Banmei Village, Lanhe Town, Nansha District, and was elevated to a National 3A-Level Tourist Attraction, becoming a new landmark for intangible cultural heritage tourism in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Park Overview: The park covers 21 mu of main buildings plus 150 mu of ecological sun-drying grounds (to be expanded to 200 mu in 2025). Adjacent to the former residence of Xian Xinghai, it is integrated into the "Hometown of Xian Xinghai" red culture route. As the nation's first intangible cultural heritage park themed around Gambiered Guangdong Gauze (Xiangyunsha), it has pioneered a "five-in-one" operational model:
Production Display Area: Full-view presentation of processes including material selection, immersion in yam extract, and sun-drying.
3D Scenario Restoration Hall: Digital technology resurrects dyeing workshop scenes from the Republic of China era.
Intangible Heritage Experience Workshop: Offers over 10 hands-on courses such as tie-dyeing and "Guowu" (coating with iron-rich mud).
Science Education Center: Traces the 1,300-year history of Gambiered Guangdong Gauze.
R&D Center: Drives innovation in eco-friendly dyes.
In 2024, the park received over 800 study tour groups, with an experience participation rate of 93%.
Cultural Roots: The origin of Gambiered Guangdong Gauze is closely tied to the Tanka people of the Pearl River Delta — to reinforce their fishing nets, they soaked them in yam extract, which gradually evolved into a technique for dyeing garments. The four exhibition halls within the culture center offer an in-depth exploration of this lineage:
Tanka Life and the Origins of the Craft
Silk Trade along the Maritime Silk Road
Archives of Old Gambiered Gauze Merchant Houses from the Republic of China Era
Exhibition of Two-Warp Twill Looms and Silk Twisting Techniques
Adjacent to the park, the Xian Xinghai Hometown History Center seamlessly connects the intangible cultural heritage experience with the resilient and truth-seeking spirit of Xian Xinghai. Through an integrated model of “production, sales, R&D, education, and tourism,” Yunsha Xingyun (the park’s brand) revitalizes the contemporary vitality of this intangible cultural heritage.
Immersive Learning Experience: Visitors can deeply engage in the transformative journey of Gambiered Guangdong Gauze:
Dyeing Field: Adjust the concentration of yam extract, progressing from the “first dip” to the “fourth dip,” where artisans control the depth of color through their mastery of force.
Sun-Drying Field: From 5:00 to 10:00 a.m. (seasonal availability), watch the fabric transform into russet silk under the scorching sun.
Mud-Coating Field: Stir the mud from the Pearl River Estuary with your own hands, and witness the magical “blackening” moment as iron ions react with tannins.
Here, a simple handkerchief, treated with the mud-coating process, turns into a cultural and creative sachet — an intangible heritage keepsake you can take home.
Nature as the furnace, craftsmanship as the fire. At Yunsha Xingyun, every length of Gambiered Guangdong Gauze is an epic of Lingnan’s landscape and culture, and every touch is a dialogue spanning a thousand years.
NALANGE CHRONICLES
Editor-in-Chief: Wang Xuan
Photographer: Xiao Tie
Calligrapher: Zhi Ming
Costumes: WURAY MIRACLE, YUNSHA STAR RHYME
Dedicated to promoting Xiangyunsha silk as China’s intangible cultural heritage.
Email: 1399229194@qq.com
