London Craft Week kicks off with Chinese craftsmanship under spotlight

The 10th London Craft Week kicked off here on Monday with hundreds of talents worldwide to celebrate craftsmanship through workshops, exhibitions, and talks across the city.

Among them, several events featuring Chinese arts and crafts highlighted the fusion of tradition and innovation.

At the "Chinese Design: Harmony in Diversity" exhibition, a colorful piece of Miao embroidery, depicting British landmarks like the London Eye, Big Ben, and Tower Bridge alongside traditional Miao ethnic elements, drew considerable attention.

The 40-centimeter-square embroidered patch took Yang Shiying, who has dedicated five decades to mastering Miao embroidery -- the traditional artistry of China's Miao ethnic minority in Southwest China's Guizhou province -- about two months to handcraft.

It marked the first participation of Yang and her son, Axin, in the craft week. Their exhibits included suits, bags, and attire adorned with Miao embroidery, showing the art of stitching the intangible cultural heritage into modern fashion design.

"We hope that such integration of old and new can help more people realize that intangible cultural heritage can still exhibit new vitality through fresh and youthful design," Axin, a Miao ethnic designer who founded his own clothing brand in 2007, told Xinhua.