A practitioner of a traditional, formerly all-female art of Xiang embroidery recounts her rigorous training and extraordinary life
Part of my job requires that I purchase gifts for foreign clients of my company. I often choose Xiang embroidery from Hunan province, so I am now on fairly familiar terms with the boss of the embroidery “village” I visit. One day, I arrived with a client who wanted to watch the embroidery process with his own eyes. The boss took us both to the studio of one of the embroidery artisans, Madam Rui.
Madam Rui is turning 40 this year, and she is regarded as an "old hand" in Jinxia City, a hub for traditional embroidery in Changsha. When we arrived at the studio, Madam Rui was instructing her apprentices on the “split line” technique; she then turned around and warned one of her students to watch the tension frame. When Madam Rui saw us coming, she put down her work so that she could show her visitors around. Within that small room, a thousand threads emanated from the swift needles of this army of embroiderers, who painted vivid portraits of landscapes, flora and fauna, and human figures as easily as if using pen and ink.
Madam Rui took to me after a few visits, and we often made small talk. Eventually, I took a personal interest in embroidery, and wanted to try my hand at a few floral patterns under her guidance. Madam Rui suddenly became serious. "Embroidery is not a hobby. You need to start your apprenticeship in your teenage years.”
I had to give up my dream, but I was still curious about her story, so I invited her to a cup of tea one afternoon in order to talk. I listened to the ups and downs of a life that these embroiderers created with their own hands. This is Madam Rui’s story:
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