Mother and son embroidery team weave the threads of history 母子刺繡組合編織歷史的絲線

劉恩慧

海詞積累

1. sachet n. 小香囊

2. embroidery n. 刺繡

3. literati n. 文人學士

4. embellish v. 美化;對……加以渲染

5. contemporary adj. 當代的

6. blur v. 使……模糊不清

On a street in Zhenhu town， Suzhou， a studio named MeWe launched a summer course recently in which Zhang Xue teaches beginners how to decorate sachets and moon-shaped fans.

The town， known as the home of Suxiu， or Suzhou embroidery， boasts a longstanding culture of the craft， mainly practised by women.

Mr Zhang， the owner of the studio， is one of the few male embroiderers in the town. Mr Zhang， 30， who graduated from Nanjing University of Finance & Economics， chose to take up the traditional art seven years ago instead of seeking a job in finance.

“I think we need to spread the craft， offering people a chance to learn it as a hobby，” he said.

Apart from looking after his business he volunteers as a narrator at Suzhou Museum and teaches embroidery to handicraft lovers.

Traditional Suzhou is known for its delicate presentation of literati paintings， and that is what Mr Zhang's tutor， his mother， Xue Jindi， is good at.

Ms Xue is a local artist who has done embroidery for more than 40 years. Some of her works were even sent to the Louvre Museum in Paris for the 19th International Cultural Heritage Show in 2013.

Explaining his role， Mr Zhang said that while he lacks the skills and experience of his mother， he is exploring new possibilities for the handicraft. To expand the Chinese market for embroidery products， Mr Zhang wants to embellish headphones， watches and phone shells with delicate embroidery， which is inspired by the craft of Jin Xiang Yu.

“In ancient China， craftsmen attempted to use different materials harmoniously in one object，” Mr Zhang said. “So I also try to combine embroidery with stuff other than decorative paintings.”

Mr Zhang became interested in contemporary art during trips to the United States and Europe in 2013. “At that time I knew little about contemporary art， but I thought I could get a wider vision and new direction to develop embroidery from contemporary art forms，” he said.

Speaking of whether these innovations could blur the traditional features of Suzhou embroidery， Mr Zhang said embroidery has evolved over the past 2，000 years， which in itself is change and innovation.

“I do not impose limits on the subjects we choose， the materials we use and the forms we present.”

Reading Check

Do you think it a good idea for Mr Zhang to combine embroidery with stuff other than decorative paintings？ Why or why not？

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