Xiangyun Sha, originally known as "Liang Sha", specifically referred to a silk gauze (a lightweight, open-work fabric woven with the leno jacquard technique, commonly called "twisted-eye openwork") patterned with designs such as swastika motifs, victory flowers, walnut patterns, or checkboards. The gauze was then processed through sun-dyeing (a unique dyeing and finishing technique for Xiangyun Sha). Later, its meaning expanded to become the general term for "Liang Sha Chou", which encompasses both the open-work Liang gauze (Sha) and the plain-weave Liang satin (Chou). It is important to note that Liang Sha and Liang Chou are entirely different in terms of their weaving techniques.
Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, gambiered Canton gauze was produced under various brand names, such as "Yujie" and "Liuye" in Longjiang, Shunde, Guangdong, as well as by private enterprises in Guangzhou (for example, "Sanyang" brand of Yu Tai Yu, "Confucius" brand of Yu De, and "Liangxin" brand of Su Liangji). After the implementation of the socialist transformation of private enterprises (public-private partnership), these brands were unified under the "Pearl River" brand. The main production areas for these brands covered Shunde, Nanhai, and Panyu in Foshan (prior to 2005, Nansha was under the jurisdiction of Panyu), as well as Guangzhou and other locations.
If you're intrigued by the intricate beauty of Gambiered Guangdong Gauze and wish to explore it further, we have a curated space just for that. Simply leave a comment below or send us a private message with "NanshaXiangyunsha" to find your way into our WeChat cultural community.
▲Wang Xuan, Xiangyunsha Culture Researcher
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
