The process of prestige
Guangdong gauze, once a luxury reserved for the wealthy, can take months to make due to its time-consuming production and the use of natural materials, Yang Feiyue reports.
"It was a hard job with little pay," she says.
After learning that fewer people were willing to enter the tough trade, she shifted her career trajectory and dedicated herself to preserving the craft alongside Liang in 2014.
She followed him in every step of the craft and visited other artisans to learn from their experience.
The dyeing process involves soaking the fabric in yam extract and then drying it in the sun. This step is repeated multiple times to achieve the desired color and texture.
Following the dyeing process, the fabric is laid out on the grass and coated with mud infused with iron-rich minerals that interact with the tannins in the yam dye, resulting in a lustrous, dark surface on one side of the fabric. This treatment also boosts the fabric's resilience and water resistance.
It is then dried in the sun to set the color. The sun-drying process is repeated multiple times, alternating with additional applications of yam dye and mud.
After this, the fabric is thoroughly washed to remove excess mud and dye. It is then dried again and smoothed out.
After years of enjoying manicures, Ouyang now cuts her nails short, as the yam sap often gets stuck under her nails.
