Textile Intangible Cultural Heritage: Embroidering A Happy "Peach Blossom Garden"

On the evening of the New Year's Day, Hejiayan Village, Huatian Township, Youyang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County, Chongqing City, the Diaojiaolou built against the mountains lifted smoke from every household, and the smell of food wrapped with the sound of happy reunion echoed among the endless green mountains. In the nearby Miao Embroidery Intangible Cultural Heritage Workshop, Chen Guotao is working alone.

On the morning of New Year's Day, Chen Guotao received a special order: the next day, dozens of Miao embroidery works will be sent to Chongqing as foreign affairs gifts for New Year's greetings. Due to the urgent time, Chen Guotao is too busy to look up.

"We started to work on the embroidery more than half a year in advance, but the outer packaging is not ready yet. I want to make them more ethnic." Chen Guotao quickly decorated the wooden box with silver embroidery with both hands, and told reporters with a smile, "The embroiderers started work on the second day of the lunar new year, but this Spring Festival is the first one after the optimization and adjustment of the epidemic prevention and control measures. All the migrant workers have returned to their hometown, and I also gave my sisters a long holiday. So this time I have to do it myself."

"The Spring Festival is a traditional festival in China. Every year, China prepares New Year gifts for some international organizations and relevant countries to celebrate the New Year. Handicrafts that display Chinese traditional culture and skills are an important part, such as our Miao embroidery." Chen Guotao is very proud to mention this order. Last year, Miao embroidery was sent to the SCO and European countries as a New Year gift. Miao Embroidery is proud and happy to go abroad and let more foreigners know about China's national culture for thousands of years.

He wanted to do a perfect job, but he rushed to work overnight, so that Chen Guotao's waist fracture, which had just been kept for less than a month, became serious again. Sometimes the pain made her sleepless all night.

"It fell when I went to the workshop to check the embroidery products years ago." Chen Guotao was indifferent when talking about the injury. She has been persisting in inheriting Miao embroidery skills for seventeen or eight years, which has left her with injuries. The mountain road in Chongqing is winding and rugged, and it is difficult to walk in rainy days. Chen Guotao has suffered rollovers and car accidents for many times.

However, Chen Guotao never thought of giving up. "As soon as I think of so many left behind sisters and the elderly behind, and think of the inheritance and protection of Miao culture, I will stick to the belief more fully," said Chen Guotao.

Chen Guotao's workshop is a national demonstration site for rural revitalization. More than 200 embroidery women working in the workshop are left behind women and elderly people from three remote villages. Chen Bihai, who has been disabled for 26 years due to illness, Zhang Xiaoping, who has taken care of eight children, Hu Lan, a left behind woman with her husband's cancer, and Yang Min, who is holding her children to set up a stall on the street... Every embroidery lady was taught by Chen Guotao hand by hand after going door to door research. In the workshop, many embroidering women who have never gone out of the deep mountain use colored threads to embroider their beautiful expectations.

The reporter learned a group of figures: Up to now, Chen Guotao has trained more than 8600 rural women, and driven more than 2700 rural left behind women and disabled people to become rich through Miao embroidery.

Colorful dragons, phoenixes in glow, plump and bright fish, trees with peach, plum and chrysanthemum... In the memory of Chen Guotao, who was born and grew up in Sri Lanka, villagers living in Diaojiaolou usually wear traditional Miao costumes. However, with the development of the times, few people wear them now.

　　 "At first, I wanted to copy the skills handed down by the older generation intact, but I found that not everyone could appreciate the beauty of traditional Miao embroidery patterns. Without buying, there would be no economic value. Later, I tried to integrate and innovate, such as increasing the functionality of some products, turning a flower into a brooch, necklace, earring and other accessories, in order to preserve the foundation of Miao embroidery culture On the other hand, we should develop daily necessities suitable for modern people. " Chen Guotao said.

Sure enough, the effect is also very gratifying. Miao embroidery poverty alleviation cultural and creative products were selected as foreign affairs gifts by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the "Embroidering a Land of Peach Blossoms" series was selected as the national gift of the SCO Summit, and the group fan series was selected as the national gift of the "Belt and Road"... Through the exhibition, Chen Guotao attracted orders at home and abroad with his amazing products, and also opened a cultural product store in the Peach Blossom Garden of Youyang.

In the past few years, affected by the epidemic, the operation of workshop orders and shops in the ancient town of Taohuayuan was not very good. At that time, Chen Guotao also had several million yuan of bank loans. Most embroiderers are poor families and can only earn a living by embroidering. Just last year, in order to pay Xiuniang, she sold her only house.

On the sixth day of the lunar new year, Chen Guotao, who had been in bed for several days, hurried to the ancient town of Taohuayuan. Watching people coming and going in the shop, she took a long sigh of relief, smiled and said to the reporter, "If there are so many tourists during the Spring Festival, the future will be better and better. Many Miao embroidery patterns have special meanings and blessings, such as wealth, peace, and many children, and people are more hopeful for life in the new year."

Speaking of the future, Chen Guotao's eyes were bright and energetic: "Last year we set up our own product research and development team. This year, we plan to expand new channels near Wuling Mountain, open Miao embroidery chain stores to more places, and let more people know about Miao embroidery and our products."

(Source: International Business Daily)