NPC deputy promotes Hunan embroidery, traditional culture

Cheng Xinxiang, an embroidery master with over 30 years of experience, has been trying to inherit Hunan embroidery and the traditional culture behind it to make the art walk into the modern life and close to the public.

Cheng, a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress, suggested shaping Hunan embroidery as an intellectual property brand, as well as a never-fading calling card of the province.

Hunan embroidery is a characteristic folk craft of the central Chinese province and representative of Hunan culture, she said. The craftsmanship spirit must be carried forward to create more excellent cultural and innovative products that adapt to the development of the society.

With its vivid and delicate pictorial patterns, Hunan embroidery is honored as one of China's "Four Most Famous Embroideries" along with Suzhou, Sichuan and Guangdong embroidery.

Paintings are often used as a reference for Hunan embroidery designs. Favorite subjects are landscapes, figures, flowers and birds, and classical Chinese paintings featuring birds and beasts. Lion and tiger themes are especially popular.

There is no doubt that Hunan embroidery is artistic and requires great skill, but integrating it into ordinary life to better serve the needs of the public is a common problem faced by the embroidery industry, Cheng said.

"In the eyes of youths born after the 1990s and 2000s, Hunan embroidery is a distant cultural symbol. They are often amazed by the superb skills of the embroiderers, but they are quite shocked by the high price of Hunan embroidery," she said.

To promote Hunan embroidery products to attract the public, especially the younger generations, Cheng and her team have designed many derivative products that combine Hunan embroidery with technology, such as mobile power supply units and Bluetooth-enabled speakers, and developed products that could be used in daily life, including a scarf, handkerchief and notebook.

For travelers visiting Hunan province, after enjoying the scenery and local food, Cheng said she hopes they also can experience the culture there and even bring home some of the small, exquisite and portable products that feature Hunan embroidery.

During the two sessions, she also proposed the establishment of Han Costume Day to focus on traditional clothing of the ethnic Han Chinese. She said it can be expanded to include traditional costumes from various ethnic minority groups.

Establishing a Han Costume Day will draw the public's attention to traditional costumes and culture, which will offer an opportunity to use Hunan embroidery in traditional clothes to better promote the culture, she said.

"For me, Hunan embroidery is not just a career I am passionate about; it is also a responsibility of inheritance," she said.

She said she will continue to stick to the craftsmanship spirit to make and promote innovative culture products, and pass on the skills and culture to more young people.

At the same time, she called on the government and the society to promote the consumption of cultural products to build into a cultural brand to help the public enjoy the charm of Hunan embroidery culture.