Chinanews.com, Yulin, Shaanxi, February 18th, title: Sixties "embroidered lady" handed down intangible cultural heritage with ingenuity at her fingertips, "one stitch and one thread" showing ancient rhyme and new meaning
Author Li Yifan Alina
"Xiqin embroidery is simple and exaggerated in shape, bright and enthusiastic in color, just like the straightforward and slightly rough character of our Guanzhong women. Every piece of work requires careful composition, patient selection of materials, and thinking about how to match it. This is not only my appreciation of traditional Xiqin embroidery. Cherishing skills is also my serious attitude towards life." Li Huilian, a representative inheritor of Xiqin embroidery, told a reporter from Chinanews.com.
Xiqin embroidery is a folk embroidery art popular in Baoji, Shaanxi. It has a long history of development in the local area. Embroidery relics were found in the tomb of Jing Ji in the Western Zhou Dynasty in Baoji.
Xiqin embroidery is closely related to the social life and folk customs in Baoji.
In 2008, Xiqin embroidery was officially included in the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.
The picture shows Li Huilian making embroidery handicrafts with neighborhood women.
Photo provided by the interviewee
On the 18th, the reporter saw at the exhibition site of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Collection of the First China Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Annual Conference that Li Huilian was sewing a "little tiger". Various handicrafts such as pendants are mainly based on animal images, with delicate processing, exquisite materials, well-proportioned stitches, dense and dense, and are ornamental and practical.
"For the elderly, most of them use Fu Lu Shou patterns, which imply health and longevity; for children, they mostly use patterns such as tigers, which are intended to ward off evil and suppress evil, and wish children to be as brave and strong as tigers; for newlyweds, they are Choose patterns such as fish playing with lotus, and wish them a happy family and many children." Li Huilian said, "Small patterns" contain the "great learning" in traditional culture.
62-year-old Li Huilian was born in Dazhai Village, Nanzhai Town, Qianyang County, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province. She has been doing embroidery for more than 50 years.
"I have fallen in love with needlework since I was 8 years old. My mother taught me how to draw, cut and sew." Li Huilian said.
The picture shows Li Huilian and her works.
Photo provided by the interviewee
According to Li Huilian, Western Qin embroidery has rich and varied themes, ingenious and romantic ideas, and its own system of techniques, including flat embroidery, hanging embroidery and patchwork embroidery.
As a folk art rooted in the countryside, it embodies the local farmers' understanding of life, nature and society, conveys their values and life ideals in an artistic way, and can provide a vivid reference for the study of Shaanxi folk customs and regional culture. Material.
"Continuous innovation in inheritance, continuous optimization in innovation." Li Huilian said that she took the lead in developing and producing more than 30 varieties of handicrafts, which not only integrate the characteristics of the times, but also take into account the preferences of consumers, and are very popular in the market.
In 2008, with the support of relevant departments, Li Huilian established the Qianyang County Sunbird Crafts Professional Cooperative, relying on the national intangible cultural heritage project Xiqin Embroidery, to play the role of intangible cultural heritage workshops, and drive surrounding low-income families and left-behind women to engage in Embroidery handicraft making.
"There are many left-behind women in the nearby countryside who have a good foundation in 'needlework'. Through learning and training, they join in the production of Xiqin embroidery, which not only enriches the off-farm time, but also earns extra income." Li Huilian said, this also makes many left-behind women Having found a sense of value, they embroidered in the cooperative while doing household chores with their neighbors, and their lives were enriched a lot.
In addition, Li Huilian often organizes members of the cooperative to go out to carry out cultural exchange activities, participate in various fairs, product expositions, etc., and vigorously promote Xiqin embroidery.
At present, it has formed a solid sales channel in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other places, and its products are exported to more than 10 countries including Singapore, Thailand and Japan.
Talking about the future of Xiqin embroidery, Li Huilian looks forward to attracting more young people to join and inherit embroidery skills, so as to continue the life of ancient embroidery culture.
The reporter learned that Zhao Lin, the daughter of Li Huilian, is currently conceiving the brand design and product packaging improvement of Xiqin Embroidery, intending to use young thinking to incorporate a touch of "new color" into ancient embroidery.
In recent years, Qianyang County officials have also actively organized the public to integrate the traditional production techniques of Xiqin embroidery intangible cultural heritage into modern fashion concepts, adopt the model of "association + cooperative + embroiderers" to form the main market, and continuously promote creative transformation and innovative development. Expand the scale of production, enhance market competitiveness, and find a way for the intangible cultural heritage industry to help rural revitalization.
"I hope Xiqin embroidery products can go out of Qianyang and let more people know about it and like it." Li Huilian said that she will continue to embroider the "color" of life with the women in her neighborhood, and will attract more young people in the future. "Wonderful ideas" to create more interesting works.
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