Threading together culture and modernity

Hu Meiqun, a craftswoman, designer and entrepreneur who co-owns a Su embroidery studio in Jiangsu province, has a perfect scene in her mind — a place where the lush green grass can be seen and the melodic chirping of birds can be heard, while the city's hustle and bustle is far away.

She believes such a place would soothe the minds of embroiderers, inspiring them to create beautiful patterns.

Years ago, Hu, 45, moved the office and workshop of Wuxi Broderie Art Limited, which she co-founded with her husband Wang Zheng, into a five-story detached house in a quiet community on the outskirts of her native city, Wuxi in Jiangsu.

There, Hu and a number of craftspeople have produced fine examples of Su embroidery.

Deemed one of China's Four Great Embroideries, the 3,000-year-old Su embroidery had been manufactured in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, and neighboring areas, which produce high-quality silk.

Su embroidery has been popular since ancient times, renowned for its exquisite needlework and colorful designs to accentuate the elegant sheen of silk.

Generations of artisans have invented a variety of stitching methods. It is believed that more than 50 types of stitching are applied today.

Hu's studio focuses on one unique stitch called dazi, or "making seeds" — the method makes small, even-raised knot patterns that look like seeds.

A piece of Su embroidery uses more than one stitch. "Normally, the dazi stitch is used to create minor details, such as petals and birds' eyes to give the whole work an animated feeling," Hu says.

A collaboration with Dior men's Fall 2021 collection brought Hu's studio and the artistry of dazi into the international limelight.

Proposed by Dior's artistic director Kim Jones, the show featured signature cartoon characters created by US artist Kenny Scharf and dazi needlework by Hu's studio on waistbands, slippers and jackets.

The unique creation was a shirt which Hu and her team covered with only dazi stitches, which they had never done before.

"It took about six months to complete the work," Hu says.

"Before that, we spent a year or so communicating (with designers in Paris) on which stitches to use. We made examples featuring different stitches. Finally, it was decided that we would apply the dazi method only."

She says Scharf's design showed mostly highly saturated colors, different from what they normally do for domestic clients.

She says the studio customized and dyed silk threads to make sure the vivid, graffiti style of Scharf's work would be faithfully replicated on textile.

"It was important that no extra space was left among the 'seed' knots. The knots should be even in size and look vivid. The surface should feel smooth in general."

The shirt, which reflects the multiple affinities that Dior and the LVMH Group have developed with China, is on show at the 7th edition of the China International Import Expo that runs until Sunday in Shanghai.

Hu grew up watching female members of her family working on embroidery. She had the impression that many of her neighbors were also involved in handicraft trades, such as bamboo weaving and cloth art.

"Handicrafts are the foundation of what we are and the power for those who live in Jiangnan (the southern region of the lower reaches of Yangtze River)," she says.

"This tradition of craftsmanship allows us, when addressing the new aesthetic demands, to renovate, integrate and express our cultural identity."

A similar opportunity to walk out of her "comfort zone" was offered to Yao Huifen, another seasoned Su embroidery artist, in 2017.

The Suzhou-based embroiderer, 57, was contacted by Qiu Zhijie, artist and curator of the Chinese Pavilion unveiled at the 57th Venice Biennale art exhibition in May.

He asked if Yao would be willing to collaborate on an embroidered version of Skeleton Fantasy Show, a painting by Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) artist Li Song.

It depicts the whimsical scene of a skeleton puppetry show, in which Li hinted at the switch between what was real and unreal, life and death.

It was not a typical theme Yao had visualized in her decades-long career — normally it would be flowers and birds, graceful women or fairy-tale characters.

She accepted the challenge because she felt excited about reaching new frontiers of what she is doing, "to tell a different story of Su embroidery" to an international audience.

She calls the work "a stitch library of Su embroidery", for it gathered an array of stitches that have been passed down for generations.

"The embroiderers in my team who participated in the project were veterans in their late 40s. They knew very old stitches that are unfamiliar to people these days."

Yao is making new versions of Skeleton Fantasy Show to see if she can come up with more changes.

"It is never too old to invent stitches," she says.

That commitment motivated Yao to create a "simplified stitching" method in 2006. The idea emerged during a trip to France when she purchased a drawing and wanted to stitch it.

While working on the piece, she was able to re-create the same sketchy lines and the contrast between light and shadow with slim, delicate stitches, while leaving much emptiness in the work.

Creating more pieces using this method, she discovered that its simplified beauty resonated well with a younger audience.

"Aesthetics evolve. When one embraces the changes, he finds much more freedom in creation," Yao says.

The view is echoed by Fu Jian, 37, whose workshop and Yao's are in the same neighborhood, a hub of embroidery studios and shops near the Taihu Lake.

Fu has been stitching Chinese archaic bronze ware since 2015.

He shares glimpses of his craft through short videos on social media, garnering attention not just for his technical mastery but also for defying stereotypes as a male embroiderer.

"It is a family trade. I was determined to participate in it in middle school. I learned design at university with the hope of introducing transformations to this field," he says.

"We are talking about a profession. Gender is irrelevant to the skill and passion involved."

He first embroiders the shapes and motifs as ordered by customers. Then he lets his imagination fly.

"It is an accumulation of research, experience and improvisation."