"It's tough to learn such a skill which requires lots of patience and practice," says Chen who admits there was a time she considered giving it up. "I once thought that, nowadays, traditional art is usually displayed or memorialized, as fewer people wear traditional costumes or buy artwork."
However, she gradually changed her thinking as she was influenced by family members who are interested in traditional Chinese paintings, calligraphy and antiques, so she continued to learn from her mother and made it her career. She also founded her own studio in 2010 with six apprentices in Shanghai.
Also an instructor at the art design and media school of East China University of Science and Technology, Chen teaches the craft to students from primary and secondary schools. New art pieces are also regularly promoted on social media accounts of the district to popularize the craft.
"Thanks to the domestic environment where cultural heritage is well preserved, our team often cooperates with local designers to create products," Chen says. The most recent collaboration was between Chen's team and Shanghai designer Ye Qing for a qipao couture show during Shanghai Fashion Week in June.
Traditions and advancement are not mutually exclusive. Qiu Chunlin, director of the arts and crafts research institute at the China National Academy of Arts, emphasized the need for new promotion channels such as e-commerce and livestreaming to facilitate the development of traditional craftsmanship. Moreover, many regions in China have been lifted out of poverty in the past decade through traditional arts.
