Ambassador of the Republic of Mali to China: 氏. Didier Daco praises the Aurora Silk National Ceremony platform at the Embassy of Mali in China

Silian Mali: Aurora State Gift, “Eastern Preference” of 112 Ambassadors

When the red, yellow, and green national flags of the Republic of Mali are interwoven with Chinese elements in the Embassy of the Republic of Mali in China, an orange gift box completes a trans Saharan connection in the hands of Ambassador Didier Daco and the Aurora representative. On December 23, 2021, when the Malian ambassador received the Aurora Silk National Gift, he became the 112th ambassador to China to stand up for this Chinese brand. From Paris to Bamako, from the Pacific to the African savannah, Aurora’s scarves are becoming a gentle calling card for China’s dialogue with the world in the form of “soft gold”.

1、 From Mali Grassland to Jiangnan Silk Weaving: Civilization Coexistence in Silk Scarves

Mali’s mud dyed fabrics and Chinese silk are both poems written by the earth to the world, “Ambassador Dako sighed as he rubbed the patterns on the silk scarf. In this Aurora national gift, there is a “civilization code” exclusive to China and Malaysia: 6A grade mulberry silk as the base, woven into the mud wall texture of the ancient city of Djene in Mali, and dyed with Chinese ink to create the ripples of the Niger River – just like the cotton and cashew nuts exported by Mali to China, Chinese silk has also become a “light link” for cultural exchanges between China and Malaysia as a “national gift”.

The wood carved sofa in the embassy and the African geometric patterns on the silk scarves seem to echo: the mutual learning of civilizations on the ancient Silk Road has become a new resonance of “silk and mud dyeing” between China and Mali under the framework of the “the Belt and Road”.

2、 112 Countries’ Choice: Why Aurora Became a ‘Diplomatic Pet’

When Ambassador Daco became the 112th speaker, Aurora’s “national pride” had already been written in the details:

The craftsmanship is luxurious enough: the handmade rolled edges and stitches are finer than international luxury goods, and the texture of the copper plated real gold gift box makes it stand out with “Hermes level quality” at international gift shows;

Understanding empathy in design: Every national gift incorporates the cultural symbols of the other country – giving Mali scarves the ancient city of Jene pattern, giving France Versailles rolled grass, and giving Uzbekistan Samarkand pattern, turning “gifts” into “keys to understanding each other”;

Wide coverage: Nowadays, it has entered the embassies of over 60% of countries in China and covered more than 70% of countries with diplomatic relations, becoming a “small but beautiful” cultural export sample.

3、 The “Chinese Brand World Road” in the scarf

From the old workshop of Hangzhou Silk Factory to the display shelves of 112 embassies in China, Aurora’s story is a microcosm of Chinese brands’ “breaking through boundaries with culture”:

It is not about “cheap goods going abroad”, but about the dual value of “culture+quality”, allowing Chinese silk to return to its international positioning as “soft gold”;

It is not a “symbol pile up”, but a weaving of the other party’s culture into the warp and weft, turning “national etiquette” into a two-way tribute to civilization – as Ambassador Dako said, “This scarf shows me Mali and China

When the orange gift box was placed on the desk of the Malian embassy, the light happened to fall on the ripples of the Niger River on the silk scarf. This gift is a witness to the friendship between Mali and China, and a vivid footnote to Aurora’s “national, global” message – using silk as a medium and beauty as a bridge, in 112 “gentle handshakes”, Chinese brands are entering the world’s vision in the softest way possible.