WHAT’S MUD SILK?
Mud Silk, also known as “gambiered canton gauze 香云纱,” is a profound heritage of Lingnan, crafted through an ancient process. Intertwining with nature, it's shaped by sunlight, mud, and river water, earning the title "soft gold."
Soaked in Shuliang(natural local plant) juice and mingled with mud, it becomes light yet robust, evolving in beauty over time. Hand-dyed from natural plants, each thread retains craftsmanship traces, making every piece a unique masterpiece that transports you to a world where nature's charm meets sunlight, earth, and time.
泥丝，也被称为“香云纱”，是岭南深厚的文化遗产，由古老的工艺制成。它与自然交织，在阳光、泥土和河水的塑造下，被誉为“柔软的黄金”。浸泡在疏梁（当地天然植物）汁液中并与泥土混合后，它变得轻盈而坚韧，随时间美丽演变。每一线都经过天然植物手工染色，保留了工艺的痕迹，使每一件作品都独一无二，让你进入一个自然魅力与阳光、大地和时间相遇的世界。
- HISTORY OF MUD SILK 101AND NOW
Between 1922 and 1925, Guangdong's silk industry peaked. Over 500 silk production factories existed in Shunde alone, and mud silk fabric, known for its cool, comfortable texture, was exported globally.
This fabric became popular with upper-class society in 1930s Beijing and Shanghai and was favored among overseas Chinese communities. However, the rise of synthetic cotton led to a decline in mud silk production. The complex production and long training times for skilled workers, coupled with labor-intensive processes, discouraged new learners, posing a risk to this traditional craft's preservation.
在1922年到1925年间，广东的丝绸产业达到了顶峰。仅顺德一地就有超过500家丝绸生产工厂，以其凉爽、舒适的质地闻名的泥丝绸被出口到全球。这种面料在1930年代的北京和上海上流社会中变得流行，并且在海外华人社区中也颇受欢迎。然而，合成棉的兴起导致泥丝绸生产的衰退。复杂的生产过程和长时间的熟练工人培训，加上劳动密集型的过程，使得新学习者望而却步，这对传统工艺的保护变得艰难
。
HOW’S MUD SILK MADE?
- MUD SILK PRODUCTION PROCESS
STE3P 01/17:
Silk worms originated in China, where silk cultivation and breeding began over 3,000 years ago. The life cycle of a silk worm consists of four stages: silk eggs → larvae → silk worm → pupation.
桑蚕起源于中国，在3000年前中国已经开始对蚕的化与饲养。蚕的一生有四个阶段、蚕卵→幼蚕→蚕→化。
STEP 02/17:
For silkworms that feed on mulberry leaves, each cocoon requires changing positions 250 to 500 times, weaving over 60,000 figure-eight-shaped loops. Each loop has an average length of 0.92 cm, and the total silk length of a single cocoon can reach 500 to 3000 meters.
以桑叶为生蚕每结一个，需变换250~500次位置，编织出6万多个8字形的丝圈，每个丝圈平均有0.92CM长，一个的丝长可达500~3000M。
STEP 03/17:
The silk reeling process includes the steps of boiling the cocoon to extract the filaments, preparing, and sorting the filaments, gathering the filaments from the cocoon, spinning, unwinding, adding and connecting filaments when reeling is complete or interrupted, and winding and drying the raw silk.
缫丝工艺包括括煮熟茧的索绪、理绪、茧丝的集绪、拈鞘、缫解、部分茧子的茧丝缫完或中途断头时的添绪和接绪、生丝的卷绕和干燥。
STEP 04/17:
After the raw silk is produced, textile factories weave it into the fabric. Although modern factories primarily use automated weaving machines, many still maintain the traditional appearance of hand-operated weaving machines. Once the production of raw silk fabric is completed, the next step is to prepare for the dyeing process.
真丝出厂之后，织布厂再把它织成布料，虽然现在的厂都是用的自动化织布机，但很多都还保留着传统的手工织布机的形态。白胚绸布生产好后，就可以准备后面的染色了。
STEP 05/17:
The dyes for mud silk are derived from the juice of a plant called Shuliang, which is a type of plant root growing in the Lingnan region. Shuliang is a 100% natural plant, similar to sweet potatoes. It blooms in spring and summer, bearing fruit in late summer and fall.
The tubers are large, with several segments for older ones, and many fibrous roots. The surface is rough and often has wart-like protrusions, and the flesh is brown-red or purple-red.
香云纱的染料都是用薯莨这种植物的汁去染色而成。薯莨属于生长在岭南的100%纯天然植物的根块，类似红薯。春夏开花，夏秋结果。
块茎肥大，长者数节，多鬚根，表面粗糙且常有疣状突起，其肉质呈棕红或紫红。
STEP 06/17:
The juice of Shuliang is classified as a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, known for its characteristics of anti-mold and antibacterial properties. When applied externally, it has functions such as stopping bleeding, reducing inflammation, relieving itching, and reducing swelling.
When used as an ingredient in compound traditional Chinese medicine for internal use, it contributes to women's health needs.
薯莨汁属于中草药，具有防霉抗菌除特点，外用有止血丶消炎丶止痒消肿等功能，作为复方中成药内服有助女性健康需要。因此穿上莨绸衣服对皮肤十分有益。
STEP 07/17:
Using pure plant Shuliang water, artisans immerse raw silk fabric in water, continuously agitating it by hand. The concentration ratio is a skill understood by only a few experienced craftsmen. They adjust the Shuliang juice concentration based on daily progress and quantity, relying solely on years of accumulated practical experience.
用纯植物薯莨水，将白胚绸布面料浸泡于水中，并不断用手翻动，其浓度比例，只有为数不多的老师傅才懂，他们根据每天工作的进度和数量，随时调节薯莨汁的浓度，这种调配全凭常年积累的实践经验。
STEP 08/17:
The entire production process relies on sunlight. Sunlight plays a crucial role in the Shuliang silk production process. Only through exposure to sunlight does Shuliang silk achieve a natural, lustrous black color.
The sun-drying process has strict requirements for light intensity, determining the production time for Shuliang silk throughout the year. This also contributes to high labor costs: sun-drying can only occur in strong sunlight, leading to work stoppages after October each year.
整个生产流程都是需要太阳光。光照在莨绸生产过程中，光照起到了非常重要的作用。经过阳光的照射，莨绸的黑色才更加自然、富有光泽。因晒莨工艺对光照强度要求极为严格，因此，阳光的强弱决定了一年中莨绸生产的时间。但这也是人力成本高的原因：晒莨只能在强日照天气进行，每年10月后就只能停工。
STEP 09/17:
After the silk fabric is sun-dried, it is sprayed several times with a bucket containing Shuliang water to achieve a more even dyeing.
Placed on open grassland, under the interaction of sunlight, wind, and water vapor, the color of the silk fabric gradually transforms from light yellow to vibrant red.
绸匹晒干后，用桶盛莨水喷洒到绸匹上，如是重复好几遍，使染色更均匀。置于空矿的草地上，在阳光、风、水汽的相互作用下，绸匹颜色逐渐从浅黄变为福红色。
STEP 10/17:
After sprinkling Shuliang water, the artisans use brooms made of reed leaves to sweep it evenly. The craftsmen, resembling artists with brushes, create a poetic scene in the realm between heaven and earth.
洒莨水后还要用蒲叶帚扫匀，工匠像手着画笔一样，在天地之间创作，画面颇有意境。
STEP 11/17:
The dyed raw silk, after the immersion process, is air-dried in the sun and undergoes the dyeing process repeatedly, from 3 to 10 times. As the workers operate under sunlight, they are exposed to natural dyes without formaldehyde pollution.
将经过浸染后的坯绸，进行晾晒风干，并重复浸染过程3至10次。
因为工人们在阳光下工作，接触到的是没有甲醛污染的天然的染色剂。
STEP 12/17:
At the entire sun-drying field, up to a hundred pieces of fabric, each around 20 meters in length, can be simultaneously handled. Unfolding and folding such a large quantity and volume of fabric in a short time, while ensuring neatness, relies entirely on the skill of 'rolling silk.' Strength, speed, and precision all depend on experience.
整个晒莨场上可同时操作的布料最多可达百匹，每一匹长度在20米上下。要在短时间内铺展与收纳数量与体积如此庞大的布料，且要保证整齐，全仰仗「卷绸」的工夫。力量、速度、幅度，都需依靠经验。
STEP 13/17:
After the base color matures, a large brush is used to repeatedly apply well-stirred river sediment onto one side.
The unique river mud in the Pearl River Delta, containing high-priced iron ions, undergoes a subtle chemical reaction when it encounters tannins in Shuliang, giving the fabric a rich black color. Due to the specific nature of the river mud, Mud Silk can only be produced in the Shunde region, leading to limited production.
底色成熟后，用硕大的笔刷沾取搅拌均匀的河塘淤泥反复涂于一面。珠三角地区特有的含有高价铁离子的河涌泥与薯莨中的单宁相遇就会产生微妙的化学作用，能够让面料变得乌黑有色泽。因为河泥的特殊性，也导致香云纱只能在顺德地区生产，所以产量有限。
STEP 14/17:
After applying mud, the satin fabric needs to air-dry for an additional half-hour. During this time, the minerals from the soil fully integrate with the fabric before being transported to the edge of a small river. Craftsmen then immerse themselves in the river, washing off the remaining river mud, which has now turned into a powder.
涂泥后的绸缎需再晾晒半小时，期间泥土中的矿物质与面料充分融合，而后回收被运至小河边。匠人们跳入河中，将剩余的河泥（此时已呈粉状）洗净。
STEP 15/17:
At this point, the satin fabric finally exhibits one side in reddish-brown and the other in black, with a glossy mineral sheen. Each step in the production process of Mud Silk, including immersion, sprinkling, sealing, boiling, and water washing, is intricate and meticulous. Therefore, all processes are manually executed.
此时绸缎最终形成一面褐红一面黑，带有矿物黑胶光泽的布面效果。以上的每个香云纱的生产流程中浸、洒、封、煮、水洗等每个过程操作都十分繁复讲究。所以基本上所有过程都是人工去完成。
STEP 16/17:
After washing and drying, the processed fabric experiences an increase of approximately 30% in thickness and about 40% in weight.
The resulting Mud Silk fabric is lightweight, sturdy, and environmentally friendly. One side of the finished product is as black as ink, while the other side has an earth-like hue with faint cracked textures. Because the fabric is dyed and crafted by hand using natural plant materials, its color, materials, and surface retain the original handcrafted traces. Each piece is unique and serves as a naturally customized item with preservation effects.
洗涤后晒干，经过处理后的织物厚度增加约30％，重量增加约40％。由此制出的纱绸，轻盈而富有身骨，天然环保。成品一面鸟黑如墨，一面色泽如陶，隐约含裂纹肌理。因织品由天然植物纯手工染制，其色彩、材料及表面保留了原始的手作痕迹，每一件都是独一无二，且有保养作用的天然定制品。
STEP 17/17:
The freshly made Mud Silk needs to be stored for 3 to 6 months before proceeding with the subsequent steps.
Considering the limited production periods each year, it takes nearly a year from the initial production to the actual finished piece. Mud Silk has a refreshing and soft touch, offering characteristics such as waterproofing, sun protection, and becoming softer and brighter with each wear. They are easily hand-washable with good colorfastness, quick drying, and durable for long-lasting wear.
刚刚制作好的香云纱需存放3—6个月后，才能进行后续操作。加上每年为数不多的生产时段，一匹香云纱从开始制作到投入使用，需耗时近一年。 香云纱制品手感挺爽柔润，具有防水、防晒，越穿越柔润鸟亮，手洗牢度更佳，易洗易干，经久耐穿等特点。