China News Service, Xi'an, March 8th: Title: "Shaanxi Story" on your fingertips: Sanqin women "embroider" a colorful new life
Author Li Yifan and Zhang Yichen
"Look at this 'hair and linen embroidery' work, called 'Golden Dragon Sending Peace', with elements such as Yan'an apples and zodiac dragons. The creative inspiration comes from rural life in northern Shaanxi." "Mao" from Luochuan County, Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province Wang Guilian, a craftsman of "hemp embroidery", was "busy" with the needle and thread on his fingertips, and introduced his recent "proud works" to China News Network reporters.
After the wake of hibernation, the spring on the Loess Plateau is beginning to show. Women in Luochuan, the "hometown of apples", use the damaged and unused sacks from storing and shipping agricultural products as canvases, and use common needles and threads at home as brushes to create "wool and linen embroidery" with various patterns. ".
The picture shows Wang Guilian's "hair and linen embroidery" work.
Photo by Wu Shujie
Based on traditional paper-cutting, embroidery, and peasant paintings, "wool and linen embroidery" is made using the methods of tying, weaving, and embroidery. It not only has the characteristics of paper-cutting, but also has the charm of embroidery, with bold shapes, vivid images, and bright colors. Full of "Northern Shaanxi flavor".
"Making 'hair and linen embroidery' has not only provided some rural women in Luochuan with additional income, but has also become a new way for everyone to spend their spare time." Wang Guilian said that since 2013, she has held "hair and linen embroidery" training at the local training center There were more than 40 classes and 1,463 women were trained. The "wool and linen embroidery" works of Luochuan women were not only exhibited in many exhibitions, but also sold all over the country.
In Qianyang, Baoji, Guanzhong area, Li Huilian, who has been making Western Qin embroidery for many years, is sewing a batch of "little tigers". She said: "Children in the Guanzhong area have the custom of wearing tiger head hats and tiger head shoes since they were young. The pattern is intended to ward off evil and suppress evil, and wish children to be as brave and strong as a tiger. The production needs to be delicate, dense, and both ornamental and practical."
The picture shows Li Huilian, the representative inheritor of Western Qin embroidery, making "Little Tiger".
Photo by Li Yifan
"Under the influence of my mother, I have fallen in love with embroidery since I was 8 years old. Because of its simple and exaggerated shapes and bright and warm colors, it is just like the neat and cheerful character of our Guanzhong women." Li Huilian introduced that Western Qin embroidery has rich and diverse themes and creative ideas. Kit Kat is romantic and has its own system of techniques, including flat embroidery, hanging embroidery and patchwork embroidery.
In 2008, with the support of relevant departments, she took the lead in establishing the Qianyang County Sunbird Crafts Professional Cooperative, motivating surrounding low-income families and left-behind women to engage in embroidery crafts production.
"There are many left-behind women in rural Baoji who have a good foundation in 'needlework'. Through training and joining the production of Xiqin embroidery, they not only enrich their leisure time and obtain extra income, but more importantly, they gain a sense of value and accomplishment." Li Huilian said , members of the cooperative often go out to participate in cultural exchange activities and promote Western Qin embroidery.
At present, stable sales channels have been formed in many places in China, and the products are also exported to more than 10 countries including Thailand and Japan.
The coordinates moved south, crossed the Qinling Mountains, and arrived at Hanzhong Chenggu with beautiful mountains and clear waters.
Ding Ru, the person in charge of the frame flower county-level inheritance base in Chenggu County, Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province, is discussing with the team the design drawings of earrings and clothing that contain frame flower elements.
The Chenggu frame flowers, which are popular in the Sushui and Han River basins in southern Shaanxi, have been circulating for more than 2,000 years and are known as "three-dimensional ink paintings and living teaching materials of folk customs".
With the changes in history, unique regional characteristics have been formed through folk exchanges and integration in southern Shaanxi.
The picture shows Chenggu flower artist showing off their embroidery techniques.
Photo courtesy of Ding Ru
Due to geographical restrictions, the traditional frame flowers use white earthen cloth as the base, and use needles to embroider colorful silk threads on the grid of interwoven warp and weft of the base cloth. The main colors are black, white, and blue.
In recent years, on the basis of following traditional handicrafts, Chenggu embroidery ladies have begun to boldly use colors, innovate flower patterns, and create cultural and creative products with flower patterns, giving traditional flower patterns a more modern expression.
In 2023, the total embroidery orders from Chenggu Jiahua County-level Heritage Base will exceed 1.4 million yuan, and one-third of the products will be sold to the United Kingdom and Singapore.
"We have signed long-term subscription contracts with a number of embroiderers, 12% of whom are out of poverty. We purchase the embroiderers' finished products at a price 20% higher than the average price to encourage women to get rich and increase their income through labor." Ding Ru said .
Chenggu embroidery girl is making frame embroidery.
Photo by Ding Ru
Self-reliance, self-improvement, self-beauty and self-love are the life goals that Ding Ru has agreed with more than 500 embroiderers.
"This year I encourage several outstanding embroiderers to start their own businesses. I hope that the embroiderers from the Qinba Mountains will be financially independent, improve their skills, have a clear direction in life, and feel confident in their life." Talking about the relationship between intangible inheritance and rural women's self-growth , she sighed.
From north to south, walking through the rugged Loess Plateau, the flat Guanzhong area, and the beautiful mountainous areas of southern Shaanxi, the Sanqin women, with their own different personalities, embroidered the folk customs and cultural heritage of their hometown stitch by stitch, and even more Weaving a colorful new life with “her power”.
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