Yangzhou embroidery on show

A mesmerizing exhibition on Yangzhou embroidery, featuring more than 50 elegant works by Wu Xiaoping, a revered artist, along with seven of her apprentices, will be held from Dec 2 to 12 at the art gallery of Yangzhou University.

A Yangzhou embroidery work featuring a Chinese landscape is exhibited at the art gallery of Yangzhou University. [Photo/yznews.cn]

Yangzhou embroidery is renowned for its exquisite needlework and elegant patterns. This elaborate form of embroidery requires an adept craftsman to recreate the effect of Chinese paintings.

Under Wu's masterful embroidery artistry, traditional Chinese paintings that portray beautiful flowers or lush mountains were weaved onto soft and elegant silks.

Wu attributed her success to her innovative needlework, explaining, "I primarily use a variety of colorful and fine threads to alternately embroider dashed and solid lines. As stitches become more scattered and threads finer, the embroidered surface will be more layered."

After 53 years of practicing Yangzhou embroidery, Wu has taken on the responsibility of passing down this traditional craft. In recent years, she has mentored numerous apprentices, who have become the backbone of the industry.

Wu Xiaoping's two apprentices, Sun Yanan and Wang Li, showcase their exceptional embroidery skills at the art gallery of Yangzhou University. [Photo/yznews.cn]

In order to nurture young embroiderers, Wu frequently visits Jiangnan University in Wuxi, the Suzhou Art & Design Technology Institute, as well as a number of schools and kindergartens in Yangzhou. Each time, she used different teaching methods to impart her embroidery techniques.

"Yangzhou embroidery is a national-level intangible cultural heritage item. As a practitioner, I want to introduce a younger generation to this art form through various approaches," Wu remarked in earnest.

Elegant embroidery works are displayed at the art gallery of Yangzhou University. [Photo/yznews.cn]