Deputy passes down traditional embroidery heritage

As a two-term deputy to the National People's Congress and a leading inheritor of Hunan embroidery, a national intangible cultural heritage, Cheng Xinxiang has spent decades weaving tradition into modernity, in order to keep the ancient craft surviving and thriving in the digital era.

Over the past year, her dual roles as a national legislator and cultural inheritor have converged into a single mission: to redefine the future of Chinese embroidery through innovation, policy advocacy and youth empowerment.

Cheng, general manager of the Hunan Embroidery Research Institute Co, proposed at last year's two sessions — the annual meetings of the nation's top legislative and political advisory bodies — to utilize technology to empower traditional Chinese culture, which has become a catalyst for change.

Collaborating with tech experts, the 52-year-old pioneered a program to use artificial intelligence in the digital generation of Hunan embroidery.

This innovation slashed the time required to draft traditional blueprints for embroidery patterns from weeks to hours, greatly enhancing production efficiency, she said.

The use of technology fueled their collaborations with institutions like the Changsha Museum to launch digital embroidery postcards that feature iconic cultural relics and whimsical jewelry lines, blending historical motifs with contemporary aesthetics, Cheng said.

She has also championed a digital ecosystem that integrates R&D, production, inventory and sales management for the Hunan embroidery industry.

During this year's two sessions, her vision turned global.

Teaming up with Suzhou embroidery master Yao Jianping, who is also a NPC deputy, she proposed working toward getting China's diverse embroidery traditions onto UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

"Chinese embroidery is a living library of our civilization," she said. "International recognition would inspire cross-cultural dialogue and help protect our legacy."