Skillful Hand Embroidered By Mother

Lin Xiuqing especially likes to teach children

Jincang embroidery technique applied to high-heeled shoes

Double Dragons worship pagoda and embroider divine tent

Jincang embroidered puppet Robe

Jincang embroidered puppet suit

Jincang embroidery originated from the Ming and Qing Dynasties and was popular in Fujian, Taiwan and other places. The religious embroidery of Fujian and Taiwan with Jincang embroidery mainly includes Temple embroidery, Daochang embroidery and array head embroidery, such as Buddha's clothing, embroidered Buddha, umbrella, banner, chuanfan, dragon Python table skirt, array head embroidery flag, etc. In addition, Jincang embroidery is also used in costumes and festive embroidery. Among them, the special needling techniques include litchi jumping, pineapple convex, triple thread, dragon scale overlapping Jia, etc. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the religious embroidery popular in Fujian and Taiwan is also Jincang embroidery.

As a representative of the intangible cultural heritage project in Quanzhou, Jincang embroidery has been integrated into all kinds of life scenes of Quanzhou people. Whether it is a variety of religious rituals or festive folk activities, whether it is the exquisite costumes on the stage or the ordinary table circumference at home, Jincang embroidery has added a light to Quanzhou people's life.

　　 Learning skills with enthusiasm

Lin Xiuqing, 58, is a native of Licheng. From xiaoxiuniang, a 14-year-old novice, to the representative inheritor of Quanzhou Jincang embroidery, she has been dealing with Jincang embroidery for 44 years. In the needle flying line dance, what improves is skill, but what remains unchanged is original intention. Looking back on her career, Lin Xiuqing's eyes are still pure, just like the little girl who picked up the needle and thread for the first time many years ago.

The origin of Lin Xiuqing and Jincang embroidery can be traced back to her sister Lin Xiuhua. Her sister was 10 years older than Lin Xiuqing. At that time, she worked in the embroidery factory of Quanzhou arts and crafts company. At night, she often took some unfinished work home to do. Lin Xiuqing always liked to watch the colorful golden Cang embroidery. Her interest was kindled, and she began to learn the skills of Jincang embroidery with her sister. That year, Lin Xiuqing was only 14 years old.

At the beginning of her study, she was very young and active, but Lin Xiuqing was different. Her love for Jincang embroidery made her have different patience with her peers. Before the three foot embroidery frame, she sat for several hours. Lin Xiuqing learned from the basic flat embroidery, she learned very quickly, and quickly showed her talent, "as long as I look at my sister's embroidery techniques, without her teaching, I can quickly find out.". However, in order to master all kinds of embroidery techniques, Lin Xiuqing studied them for three years. At that time, she had quite a few ideas: to learn, you need to learn the essence, and to embroider, you have to embroider all your life.

In 1991, Lin Xiuqing went to jinxiuzhuang embroidery factory as the factory director to teach the skills of Jincang embroidery“ At that time, there were only three embroiderers in the factory, including me. " In order to make up for the shortage of manpower, in the second year of entering the factory, Lin Xiuqing created "cotton filling technology" to improve the efficiency of convex embroidery. Take embroidery dragon as an example. In the past, it was necessary to sew out the shape of dragon with cotton pile, and then embroider with gold thread. However, using "cotton filling technology" only needed to sew the pattern with cloth and then fill it in with cotton, which greatly improved the efficiency. This improved technology attracted more people to study in the factory. During the peak period, there were nearly 100 embroidery workers.

　　 Adhere to the craftsmanship, pure gold Cang xiuniang is famous

Nowadays, machine embroidery has become very popular. With the same golden Cang embroidery table, you can produce more than ten or twenty pieces of embroidery in a flash through computer drawing and machine embroidery, while pure manual embroidery may take a whole month. Nevertheless, for many years, Lin Xiuqing has always insisted on pure hand embroidery, and her self-discipline is quite strict. "If it's not done well, you will never make do with it. You will certainly tear it down and rework it until you are satisfied with the change.".

Lin Xiuqing clearly remembers that one year, a Taiwanese businessman ordered seven banners to be used as "battle leaders" and asked to deliver them within half a year“ This kind of big flag is large in area and complicated in embroidery. It takes a month for a person to embroider a big flag by hand. " It took Lin Xiuqing and his disciples two whole nights to finish the delivery“ Although it is slower than the machine, the process of handcraft is the process of creation, and the value contained in it is the meaning of our existence. "

Lin Xiuqing's insistence is solid. In 2019, Lin Xiuqing was awarded the title of Quanzhou arts and Crafts Master. This year, her studio was awarded the municipal master of Arts and crafts studio. Her works are not only loved by businessmen from all over the world, but also won many awards in various competitions. The "big dragon table Wai" is permanently collected by the Fujian Taiwan edge Museum of China, and the "Jincang embroidery puppet clothing Dragon Robe" is collected by the overseas Chinese History Museum of China. Her works have won the first prize of the Tiangong award of the third Quanzhou arts and crafts innovation design competition, and the "Dragon Robe" of the third Quanzhou arts and crafts innovation design competition The 10th Fujian Fine Arts and crafts competition Silver Award and other awards.

　　 Persisting in teaching diligently and inheriting with emotion

For many years, Lin Xiuqing has been committed to inheriting and disseminating Jincang embroidery. She teaches open doors. She is willing to teach as long as she is willing to learn. "I have no threshold and requirement for apprenticeship. As long as I am interested, patient and able to sit down, I am willing to teach each other.". But cruel is, sometimes not willing to learn, learn well“ It's a craft of its own choosing. " Lin Xiuqing said with emotion that talented people can start in less than a month; No talent to learn more than half a year, even the most basic embroidery is not easy. In recent years, many people have come to learn from Lin Xiuqing, but not many people have learned and eventually engaged in the Jincang embroidery industry, which makes the inheritance of this skill worrying.

In 2016, Lin Xiuqing set up a studio to teach in Xianghe embroidery workshop located in Qixing street, Licheng District. In recent years, from Jinxiu village to Xianghe Xiufang, Lin Xiuqing has brought out nearly 150 students, including her daughter, brother-in-law and sister-in-law. In order to take care of some elderly embroidery workers or those who need to take care of their families, Lin Xiuqing often sends them embroidery thread, cloth and other materials by mail, so that they can work at home. In this way, they can take care of both the family and the golden Cang embroidery work.

　　 Daughter's skillful hand inherits and innovates old skills

No matter how difficult the inheritance is, Lin Xiuqing will not give up. To her great relief, her daughter Cai Lingling grew up beyond her expectation. She inherited her mother's skills very well, and her production level was not inferior to her mother's, and even had more ideas than her mother“ She said that the eyes of this dragon head would be more vivid by using beads. The traditional way is to sew them with cloth. Under the light, the effect is quite ordinary. I think what she said is quite reasonable. " Lin Xiuqing said that although her daughter once felt that it took her a long time to do this, and repeated movements made her feel "boring and monotonous", after several years of life experience, her daughter became calm. She embroidered, drew, and flatcars... Every day, she kept her hands on the needle and her eyes were not off-line. She sat for at least nine hours.

"Looking at the beautiful mother because of her age, her hands and eyes are not as flexible as before. I think it's time to do it myself." Cai Lingling said. Lin Xiuqing said that her daughter's Embroidery speed is not fast, but it is more delicate. If it is not good, she will have to take it apart and redo it. It is this kind of excellence that makes Cai Lingling's works win the Gold Award in the 14th China (Putian) Strait craft Expo held this year.

In recent years, influenced by her daughter, Lin Xiuqing has applied the craft of Jincang embroidery to many things that girls like, such as mandarin duck purse, bridegroom puppet, pillow and hanging ornament, etc., which makes Jincang embroidery more diversified and popular, and enters ordinary people's homes. The most eye-catching is the exquisite pattern of golden Cang embroidery on high-heeled shoes, which is amazing and deeply loved by young girls.

Jincang embroidery, as a decorative element, presents a unique cultural connotation of Quanzhou. Compared with the standard mechanized production clothes worn on the head and body today, the simple but warm "mother's hand thread" like Jincang embroidery gives people a special sense of steadiness.

(source: Southeast Morning Post)