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Teachers and students of Silk Road School visit Suzhou Embroidery Research Institute
On the afternoon of May 31st, Silk Road School international students from Russia, Rwanda visited the Suzhou Embroidery Research Institute, a state-level intangible cultural heritage protection unit, to learn about the development process of intangible cultural heritage Suzhou embroidery and the expression techniques of Suzhou embroidery skills. Moreover, they also learned about the inheritance and innovation of Suzhou embroidery culture, and felt the timeless charm of Suzhou embroidery.
Prior to the visit to the Suzhou Embroidery Research Institute, the students of Silk Road School first visited the Huanxiu Villa located in the museum.
Huanxiu Villa in Suzhou was listed as a World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO Heritage Committee in 1997, and it is the smallest of the nine Suzhou gardens in the World Heritage List. The scenery of Huanxiu Villa is dominated by mountains, supplemented by ponds, and includes various arts such as gray sculpture, poetry and calligraphy, gardening, and architecture. There is a rockery stacked in the garden, which has been preserved to this day. It is the masterpiece of Ge Yuliang, the master of stacked mountain, and is known as "unique in Jiangnan". Ge's stack of rockery is unique for covering an area of less than half an acre, but within a short distance, there are thousands of rocks and ravines, and the surrounding mountains are visible.
Professor Jiang Xiaoli, Deputy Dean of Silk Road School, combined the knowledge taught her Chinese Traditional Culture Course with the context of Huanxiu Villa to introduce the characteristics of Chinese classical gardens emphasizing on the landscape design concept, such as moving to change scenery. The garden design concepts such as changing scenery and interdependence of landscapes explained by Professor Jiang Xiaoli's and combined with the on-site visit have contributed to a more profound understanding of the characteristics of Suzhou-style gardens for the students.
While the Huanxiu Villa laid an informative foundation for students to understand the Chinese perception of nature, the Suzhou Embroidery Research Institute helped students to abundantly appreciate the Chinese percetion of humanity.
Suzhou embroidery, originated in Suzhou, is an excellent national and traditional craft in China. As the first of the four famous embroideries in China, Suzhou embroidery has a history of more than 2,500 years and was listed as one of the first state-level intangible cultural heritage projects by the State Council in 2006. Influenced by the economy, culture, customs and art of Wu , Suzhou embroidery has a unique style of beautiful patterns, elegant colors, lively needlework and fine production. Hence, Suzhou embroidery has been famous all over the world for its stunning and layered works and having an enduring yet artistic charm.
Entering the Suzhou Embroidery Research Institute, the students set-off on a cultural journey about China's intangible cultural heritage. The predecessor of the Suzhou Embroidery Research Institute was the embroidery production group of the Folk Art Research Group of the Suzhou Federation of Literary and Art Circles established in March 1954, which brought together the top embroidery masters in the country. For more than half a century, Suzhou Embroidery Research Institute has cultivated hundreds of embroidery art masters and experts for the country, and created as well as innovated more than 200 kinds of embroidery techniques. The development of the field of embroidery has made outstanding contributions. Among the first to fifth national arts and crafts masters in China, a total of 12 Suzhou embroidery industry masters were selected, of which 8 were from Suzhou Embroidery Research Institute.
In the museum, the staffs introduced the historical evolution and development of embroidery civilization to the visiting international students, demonstrated the skills of needle movement in Suzhou embroidery, explained the stories behind each work, and focused on the works of famous Suzhou embroidery artists like Shen Shou and JinJingfen. And their deeds in taking the art of Suzhou embroidery abroad and bringing glory to the country. According to the explaination, as a professional institution for the study of Suzhou embroidery, the Suzhou Embroidery Research Institute has not only cultivated Gu Wenxia, Li Eying and other masters over the years, but also created a large number of fine works, which have won gold medals and special medals in countless international expositions. Many of the pieces have been gifts to foreign heads of state and have received praises by international friends winning the label of the"pride of China", "Oriental pearl of art".
In the embroidery studio in the museum, the students cherished the meticulous and complicated production process of embroidery works and the exquisite embroidery artworks up close. They carefully observed Suzhou embroidery artists gently twisting and turning, carefully working their needles, and gradually, a beautiful picture appeared in front of their eyes.
The international students were attracted by the exquisite skills in front of them which they acknowledged. When they learned that a fine piece would take up to two years, the students gave them a thumbs up as a sign of appreciation.
Afterwards, the students walked into the boutique embroidery hall. Pieces of exquisite Suzhou embroidery unfolded in front of the students, dazzling everyone. The designs were a variety of double-sided embroidered "kitten", staring sideways, with a lively expression, ready to jump out; double-sided embroidered "goldfish", dragging a sand skirt-like tail, swimming in the clear water, colorful, ripples, water plants, swaying in the breeze. More designs include colorful dancing butterflies, the dewy roses in the wind, the beautiful epiphyllum, the antique Temple of Heaven, the elegant and tranquil water town scenery, and the lifelike characters. Every Suzhou embroidery work seemed tell a story, legend or history. However, it was Master MouZhihong's double-sided three-different embroidery， which caught everyone's attention. The front and back sides of the embroidery are different, with different needles and different colors. The corresponding parts of the front and back sides have different patterns, different stitching methods and different colors, so that everyone can appreciate the embroidery artistic images of different patterns, different stitching methods and different colors on a piece of embroidery. This kind of embroidery is unprecedented in the history of Suzhou embroidery and Chinese embroidery.
Everyone came forward to appreciate and take pictures, and they all wanted to take this exquisite picture home and share it with their relatives and friends in China.
This educational trip to the Suzhou Embroidery Research Institute allowed the students to see the beauty of the garden and the magnificence of embroidery, through through art to production, from the flexible use of colors and stitches, as well as the subtle changes in the picture and "silk texture". Suzhou embroidery carries to the stories of the inheritance, development and innovation of Suzhou embroidery culture for more than 2,000 years. Through this trip, the students learn about the pursuit of perfection, embroidery artists who are both moral and artistic, and their efforts in inheriting and carrying forward the Suzhou embroidery culture and building the brand of "Made in Suzhou" and "Jiangnan culture".
Furthermore, it also made the students more aware of their responsibilities and mission. The students expressed that this was an exquisite artistic excursion. As more people learn about Suzhou embroidery, the " Oriental pearl of art ", they simultaneously contribute to the promotion of cultural exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations.
Translated by: Aneka Rebecca Rajbhandari
