Master Embroiderers Dedicated to Solitary Pursuit of Art

Hefang Street in Hangzhou, capital city of southeast Zhejiang Province, is full of hustle and bustle, with a multitude of shops and crowds of visitors. Walk around the street corner and you will get to a quiet alley named ＂Anrong Alley＂ where Chen Shuiqin＇s embroidery studio is based. In this two-storey building, I met Ms. Chen and her disciples Yu Zhiyin and Jin Jiahong. They were embroidering on cloth attentively. The small studio was almost occupied by embroidery screens. On the window side is a row of wooden embroidery frames. Several girls coming to learn embroidery skills from different places around the country were busy with their works.     

Miao People’s Dragon-Patterned Embroidery

Embroidery is a distinctive folk art of China that dates back to ancient times.Embroiders stitch various patterns and characters with needles on silk and cloth fabrics,creating unique pieces of art.There are many embroidery styles in China,among which Miao people’s dragon-patterned embroidery     

Brick Carving of Linxia; ART ON THE BLADE

Linxia, a Hui autonomous prefecture in northwest Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, is known for its distinctive folksinging called ＂flower＂. This indigenous music form evolved from the combination of folk melodies of ancient Qiang and Han ethnic groups and developed into a mature singing expression with the contribution by many other ethnic minorities. While ＂flower＂ enjoys popularity in northwest China, Linxia attracts more tourists and heritage conservationists alike with the appealing art of brick carving -- now included on the first List of National-level Intangible Cultural Heritage.     

Chinese Wooden Furniture:Past and Present

<正>The history of Chinese wood carving dates back to the Neolithic Age (more than 7000 years ago). The wood-carved fish unearthed from the site of Hemudu Culture (5000 BC–3300 BC) in Yuyao, Zhejiang Province is generally recognized as the earliest example. Wooden furniture appeared in the     

Master Embroiderer Ren Huixian

Ren Huixian is a respectable name in the embroidery circle of Suzhou. She was a master embroiderer with both moral and artistic perfection and was granted with such titles of honor as Handicraft Master of China and Expert of Outstanding Contribution by the State Council. From the remaining pictures of her, we can see an elegant and beautiful lady with peaceful and confident appearance, which betrays her 70 years of successful artistic career.     

Stitching Skills of Suzhou Embroidery

Suzhou-style embroidery is known as the most famous of the four major embroidery styles of China. Over the sweep of history, thisembroidery genre has been nurtured in the context of cultural richness in waterside towns of southeast China and continued to evolve thanks to sldll perfection by generations of female embroiderers. Time-honored cultural traditions developed by scholars, poets and painters have enriched aesthetics, craftsmanship and coloring of the embroidery genre, endowing it with unique characteristics and enduring artistic appeals and helping to bring it with worldwide reputation.     

ZEYA TRADITIONAL PAPERMAKING

As we all know, China is world renowned for its developed papermaking technology through a 2000-year long history. The modern industry of papermaking is highly automated and a variety of paper products is manufactured. Paper made by hands are seldom seen anywhere. But in Zeya town, Ohai District of Wenzhou city, Zhejiang province, paper used to offer sacrifice to Deity is still kept as preserved traditional industry. In the long immigration history, Nanping people moved to Zeya when Nanping was well known as one of the papermaking hometowns; the name is then kept unchanging when people went to Zeya for surviving the turmoil days.[第一段]     

Thin Line Papercut：An Art of Patience

Paper cut is a fork art enjoying great popularity among Chinese people. Thin line paper-cut, a distinctive genre of Chinese paper cut, originated from Yueqing, Zhejiang Province. According to local historical records, thin line paper-cut appeared and developed in the Southern Dynasty, thanks to the region‘s thriving economy and frequent exchanges with the outside world.     

THE BEAUTY OF THE OLD VILLAGE OF GUODONG

Guodong Village is located at the foot of the mountain of primitive jungles, 10 kilometers to the south of Wuyi County, Zhejiang Province. In the village, ancient architectures in the styles of the Ming and Qing dynasties are available everywhere. And with a combination of both artificial and natural sceneries, the village, like a retreat away from the world, is famous for its accomplishments in education and culture as well as numerous virtuous and talented figures emerging from the village…     

Nantong''''s Kites

In US Space Museum in Washington D.C. is displayed a Chinese kite, with a line of explanation - "The earliest aircraft of mankind is Chinese kite and rocket." Chinese kite is composed of two distinctive schools: northern style and southern style. And the Nantong-style kite represents a unique genre among southern style kites. In the late Qing Dynasty, Nantong was dubbed as one of China's four major bases of kite making - the other three were Beijing, Tianjin and Weifang. Nantong people…     

Xu Shaoqing：A Master Artist in in Painting Embroidery

Though master embroiderers like Shen Shou, Yang Shouyu and Ren Huixian passed away, their moral and artistic legacies remain as valuable assets for generations to come. Their extraordinary achievements in Suzhou-style embroidery and respectable pursuit of artistic perfection have had significant impacts on younger generations of embroiderers. Besides these master embroiderers, Xu Shaoqing is another master that should be remembered as a big name in the history of embroidery.     

Collection ＆ Auction

Double-sided Embroidered Screen appears in Suzhou A double-sided embroidered screen copying landscape paintings by Tang Yan, a talented painter of the Ming Dynasty, was put on shelf in an embroidery shop in Suzhou, with a price of RMB 260,000 yuan. It was completed by several highly skilled embroiderers from Zhenhu known as the “hometown of Suzhou-style embroidery”. The extraordinary works cost these embroiderers more than 1800 hours. Xu Beihong’s Oil Painting Expected to Set Record…     

Refined and Elegant： Masterpieces of Suzhou-style Embroidery

＂Birds Perching at Winter Sweet＂ is an exquisite embroidery work, The work features a vigorous and straight trunk of the winter sweet, shone by plum blossoms and with a pair of birds perching at the branches. The embroidered work was based on one of the ink paintings by Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song Dynasty [960-1127] which is now collected in the Palace Museum in Taipei. The emperor is an accomplished artist skilled in painting and calligraphy.     

Painting and Erasing: A Way of Self Cultivation and Purification

Bian Qing has developed a painting method of his own.He first paints on a canvas with ink so that it is filled with unique black images.These images feature distinctive characteristics.They can be perceived as concrete objects,vague landscapes or simply color blocks with no significant meanings.Then he paints on the canvas with light pigments repeatedly until the original ink images become almost invisible,or in other words,to an extent that he is satisfied with.The original ink images are so blurred and     

Suzhou-style Embroidery Fascinates Foreign Diplomats

<正>On November 28, 2012, the 5th China Embroidery Festival opened in Zhenhui, a lakeside town in Suzhou which is hailed as the "hometown of Chinese embroidery"....     

Shaoxing East Lake： A Miniature Landscape

The East Lake is situated five kilometers to the east of the historic city of Shaoxing. With a wonderful combination of a hill, grottoes and stone bridges, it might pass for a miniature landscape. On a par with the West Lake in Hangzhou and the South Lake in Jiaxing, it is one of the three most famous lakes in southeast Zhejiang Province. Although it is quite small, its delicacy and elegance rank it among the best resorts in Shaoxing.     

Suzhou-style Embroidery

Suzhou-style embroidery is an admirable skill representing the progress of Chinese traditional craftsmanship. It is an important expression of handicraft art in the history of Chinese fine arts and folklore. In 2006, Suzhou-style embroidery was proclaimed as an entry to China’s first national list of intangible cultural heritage."Pingjiang Painting", drawn in 1229 (Southern Song Dynasty), depicts the prosperity of embroideryindustry in Suzhou. At that time, Suzhou was an     

CHARM OF SUZHOU EMBROIDERY

On a sunny day in the end of 2007 I was invited for a visit to Suzhou Embroidery. Research Institute. Led by Ms. Zhang, the institute＇s artistic director, I entered through a moon-shaped gate in a traditional style and an elegant classical Suzhou-style garden was unfolded in front of me. Quiet paths, luxuriant plants, winding corridors, all are filled with fascinating charm, like a scene in a traditional Chinese ink painting. The garden is called ＂Huanxiu Resort＂ where the embroidery institute is based. At that moment,     

Zheng Quan： An Outstanding Singer from the Hometown of Yue Opera

Zheng Quan was born in Shengzhou, Zhejiang Province Which is known as the hometown of Yue Opera. It is also a place nurturing many poets and national chess players And enjoying beautiful landscape. Zhen Quan has an extraordinarily pretty appearance And a well-shaped figure. Her voice is as moving as the nightingale And her performance on stage is so charming. She played Lin Daiyu in òA Dream of the Red Chamberó And Xie Yunxia in òLooking for the Wifeó. Her performance in òJade D…