Thread of modernity

A seventh-generation inheritor of Xiang embroidery is dedicated to the craft, report Wang Ru and Feng Zhiwei in Changsha.

Jiang Zaihong learned an important lesson when she was 11. Born into a family of embroiderers, she was used to seeing her mother do embroidery daily. One day after her mother put aside an unfinished work, the embryonic form of a peony, Jiang, on a whim, added to the flower to speed up the process. She had hoped to garner some praise from her mother. To her disappointment, when her mother saw the work, she just cut out the threads with a pair of scissors, declaring it a failure.

"Actually the flower center should be embroidered after the petals, but I made it before, and that led to visual effects that my mother didn't expect. I was told that when doing embroidery procedures need to be followed," recalls Jiang.

More than four decades later, Jiang, 55, still remembers the story clearly. That principle has guided her for decades as a craftswoman of Xiang embroidery, a national-level intangible cultural heritage, which originated in Changsha, Hunan province. Xiang is the abbreviation of Hunan province in Chinese.

After years of working in this profession, Jiang has become a master of the craft. She has created new stitches for Xiang embroidery, restored an ancient stitching technique, started a business of embroidered products and held exhibitions in many countries and regions.

Xiang embroidery is one of the four best-known styles of embroidery in China along with Su embroidery from Suzhou, Jiangsu province; Shu embroidery, which is popular in Sichuan province and Chongqing; and Yue embroidery, popular in Guangdong province. Xiang embroidery has a history of more than 2,000 years. It features rich colors and has vivid visual effects.