A 106 × 106 cm square scarf in 真丝彩云纱 — colour-printed gambiered Canton gauze, xiangyun sha — carrying the landscape of the 千里江山图, A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains, in deep violet and mist-blue across 100% mulberry silk. The reverse presents a clear, solid purple — a composed and elegant counterpoint to the painted face. Slight variations of ±3 cm may occur due to the handcrafted nature of each piece.
DESIGN
A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains — 千里江山图 — is one of the most celebrated works in Chinese painting. Wang Ximeng composed it in 1113 CE at the age of eighteen, working on a single scroll nearly twelve metres long. The painting renders mountains, rivers, and mist across a continuous landscape in mineral pigments of malachite green, azurite blue, and gold. For nine centuries, it has been held in the Palace Museum as a work of supreme rarity.
Here, that landscape is reinterpreted in violet and mist — colours that shift the original’s vivid greens into something quieter and more contemplative. Mountains emerge and dissolve in layers of purple haze across the silk. The pattern is colour-printed directly onto the gambiered gauze ground, so the texture of the fabric itself shows through the image, giving the landscape a depth that flat print cannot achieve. The solid purple reverse offers a second, simpler face — worn outward, it reads as pure colour; turned, it reveals the mountains beneath.
THE CRAFT
真丝彩云纱 — colour-printed xiangyun sha — is a variant of gambiered Canton gauze in which colour is applied to the treated silk surface after the mud-and-sap process is complete. The gambiered ground gives the dye a depth and luminosity that untreated silk cannot hold: colours appear to glow from within the cloth rather than sitting on its surface.
Gambiered Canton gauze — 香云纱 — is recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. Each piece is treated with yam-plant sap, buried in Pearl River mud, and sun-dried repeatedly by hand. The process gives the silk its characteristic warm lustre, supple weight, and a surface character that no two pieces share exactly. The edges of this scarf are hand-rolled, so the border is fine, clean, and entirely finished by hand.
GUIDE
The 106 cm square is generous enough to drape as a shoulder wrap, fold into a wide neck scarf, or carry as a shawl over a coat. The two-sided design lets you choose the face to suit the occasion — the landscape for a more expressive arrangement, the solid purple for restraint.
- White and cream blouses — the violet reads with precision against a pale ground
- Black and charcoal for evening — the landscape glows against a dark ground
- Camel and warm neutrals for autumn and winter layering
- Qipao and formal dress for celebrations and ceremonies
CARE
Gambiered Canton gauze requires specialist care. Entrust this piece to a dry cleaner with experience in silk. Do not bleach, machine wash, wring, or tumble dry. Do not iron above 110°C. Dry in shade, away from direct sunlight, which may fade the colour over time. Store folded in a breathable bag. See our Silk Care Guide for full instructions.
DELIVERY & RETURNS
See our Delivery Policy and Refund Policy.
GIFTING
Each scarf arrives in luxury gift packaging with a coordinating bag and complimentary greeting card. The 千里江山图 motif carries one of the great subjects of Chinese artistic tradition — a gift of considerable cultural resonance. Gift recipients may exchange within the standard return period.
