Threading a path through time

She looks for girls and young women from poor families, or those who have been laid off, as well as people with disabilities, and offers them free training and accommodation.

She has held nothing back and imparted all of her Bian embroidery wisdom to her students.

To date, Wang Suhua has trained more than 2,000 embroiderers for free and helped more than 20,000 locals find work related to Bian embroidery.

Cheng Fang from Kaifeng Bian embroidery research institute says that the success of the embroidery piece of the painting Qingming Shanghe Tu initiated the enrichment of Bian embroidery content.

The craft embraced a renewed vigor in the 1990s when a series of works featuring profiles of politicians, including Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping, brought the craft more public exposure.

In 2008, the craft was named a national intangible cultural heritage by the State Council.

"At present, the trend of combining traditional Chinese culture with the market economy is becoming increasingly apparent, and there is a huge demand for it (Bian embroidery) in the market," Cheng says.

"The development of traditional culture is bound to usher in a new turning point," she adds.

Wang Suhua's contribution has earned her a great many honors and prizes, including a lifetime achievement award from the China National Arts and Crafts Society in 2005 and the title of national inheritor of Bian embroidery in 2009 by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

"The embroidery techniques left by our ancestors have served as the foundation for my exploration, inheritance, development and innovation," Wang Suhua says.

"As long as I can move the needles, I am committed to passing on these techniques and promoting the development of the art of embroidery."