香云纱的历史发展

一、香云纱起源

香云纱的产生没有明确的史料记载。但早在宋代，沈括的《梦溪笔谈》就曾记述过薯莨的染色作用，明代李时珍也提到过用薯莨的汁液来浸染。

明末清初，广东以渔业为主的疍民（水上居民）为了适应水上生涯，发明了一种用薯莨汁浸泡的湿后易风干的夏服布料。当地居民借鉴了疍[dàn]民浸泡织物的方法，浸泡丝绸面料，以改变丝绸因用久了易发黄、易皱、不耐穿的特点。这就是薯莨纱的前身，也叫香云纱。

There is no definitive historical record regarding the exact moment Xiangyunsha was first created. However, as early as the Song Dynasty, Shen Kuo documented the dyeing properties of Dioscorea cirrosa (shuliang) in his work Dream Pool Essays (Mengxi Bitan). Later, during the Ming Dynasty, Li Shizhen also mentioned the practice of using the juice of this plant for immersion dyeing.

During the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, the Dan people (boat dwellers) in Guangdong, whose livelihoods depended heavily on fishing, invented a type of summer fabric soaked in shuliang juice. This material was specifically designed to dry quickly after getting wet, making it ideal for life on the water. Local residents eventually adopted the Dan people's dyeing techniques and applied them to silk fabrics. This was done to overcome silk's natural tendencies to turn yellow, wrinkle, and wear out over time. This process gave birth to the predecessor of Gambiered Gauze, originally known as Shuliang Gauze and later celebrated as Xiangyunsha.

二、发展历程

明朝永乐年间，广东就开始用薯莨染整、晒制出土蚕丝织物，并用于出口，这便是莨绸的前身。清道光年间，香云纱染整技艺逐步发展成熟，南海开始织造土蚕丝平纹织物——绸，经晒莨染整后便是莨绸。民国初期，南海首创具有扭眼通花的桑蚕丝织物，小提花者称"帐纱"，大提花者称"云纱"，统称为"纱"，经晒莨后即为莨纱。

20 世纪 20 年代，香云纱生产发展至鼎盛时期，珠三角数千家丝织厂多数都会兼作晒莨，年产香云纱 200 万 ~ 250 万匹。20 世纪 30 年代（1929 年 - 1936 年），政府采取各种措施，致力于广东的经济建设，使广东的经济步入相对繁荣的时期。

During the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, Guangdong began using shuliang for the dyeing, finishing, and sun-drying of indigenous hand-reeled silk fabrics for export; these were the precursors to Liang-chou (gambiered silk). By the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty, the dyeing and finishing techniques had matured. Weavers began producing plain-weave indigenous silk known as Chou, which became Liang-chou after the sun-dyeing process. In the early Republican period, Nanhai pioneered mulberry silk fabrics with Niu-yan-tong-hua (premature twisted-warp gauze). Those with small jacquard patterns were called Zhang-sha, while large jacquard patterns were known as Yun-sha. Collectively referred to as Sha (gauze), they became Liang-sha after the shuliang-dyeing treatment.

Xiangyunsha reached its zenith in the 1920s. Thousands of silk weaving factories across the Pearl River Delta operated shuliang-dyeing yards, with an annual output reaching 2 to 2.5 million bolts. Between 1929 and 1936, government initiatives focused on economic construction in Guangdong led to a period of relative prosperity for the industry.

三、当代复兴

1998 年，香云纱才逐渐复苏繁荣起来。如今，香云纱染整技艺在原料、颜色、图案等方面都有了创新。

原料方面，香云纱的坯绸原料已经从单一的白纱绸扩展到了包括各种丝绸面料和天然纤维织物在内的多样化选择。在色彩上，香云纱也打破了传统的褐红和乌黑限制，发展出黄色、紫色、粉红色等多种颜色，丰富了其色彩表现力。图案设计上，香云纱从依赖坯绸本身的织纹，发展到了融入各种印花图案，使得香云纱的图案更加多样化和现代化。这些创新不仅让香云纱在传统与现代之间架起了桥梁，也为这一非物质文化遗产的传承与发展注入了新的活力。

It was not until 1998 that Xiangyunsha began its gradual recovery and return to prosperity. Today, the dyeing and finishing techniques of Xiangyunsha have seen significant innovations in terms of raw materials, colors, and patterns.

Regarding materials, the base silk for Xiangyunsha has expanded from simple white silk gauze to a diverse selection of various silk fabrics and natural fiber weaves. In terms of color, Xiangyunsha has broken free from the traditional constraints of reddish-brown and deep black, developing a palette that includes yellow, purple, and pink, thereby enriching its expressive power. In pattern design, rather than relying solely on the inherent weave of the base cloth, the aftertreatment process now integrates various printed designs, making the patterns more diverse and modern. These innovations have not only built a bridge between tradition and modernity but have also injected new vitality into the inheritance and development of this Intangible Cultural Heritage.