(Photo provided to Xinhua Daily)
As one of the national intangible cultural heritages, Suzhou Embroidery boasts a history of more than 2,000 years, and is known for its elegant pattern, artistic design, fine handwork and varied stitches.
A team led by Yao Huifen, a master of Suzhou Embroidery, has recently completed a 4-meter-long work showcasing the rich cultural heritage along the Grand Canal within two months.
The artwork was commissioned by the China Grand Canal Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Hall, a national treasure trove located in Cangzhou City of Hebei Province. The facility showcases time-honored crafts collected from the eight regions along the ancient waterway system, namely Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Henan and Anhui.
To reflect the canal's splendid culture and history through Suzhou Embroidery, Yao and her team worked closely from design to stitching to ensure the best quality.
Yao Huifen (Photo credit: Xinhua News Agency)
It's quite challenging to ensure consistency in style and quality for such a large creation, since each embroiderer has her own methods and habits. But Yao, as the team leader, never compromised in ensuring the beauty and artistry - iconic features of Suzhou Embroidery - event if it meant making difficult adjustments.
"We usually started working at 6:00 am and continued until 10:00 pm, accomplishing the amount of work that would normally take more than a year," said Yao.
The 2-month creation resembles an exquisite classical Chinese brush painting, bringing to life the captivating scenery of the canal, such as water ripples, lush greenery, sailing boats, and buildings on the banks.
The final work creatively displays 41 items recognized as national intangible cultural heritage, including Beijing's gold lacquer inlay art, kite-making, Peking Opera, crosstalk, Henan Opera, Taishan shadow puppetry, and salt drying techniques.
Yao said that the most challenging part of the work was creating characters. "We employed more than ten kinds of stitches to create intricate details of people, as well as the houses, bridges, boats, and trees. As a result, the folk customs, iconic buildings and prosperous scenes along the Grand Canal can all be found in this artwork."
"Different colors were used in the embroidery, and the leaves, for example, were depicted from light yellow to deep red," Yao added.
As a native of Suzhou, Yao has a deep connection to the Grand Canal. "It's an honor to present the charm of the waterway and protect the cultural heritage with Suzhou Embroidery," Yao said.
