Embroiderer shares China's stories

An embroidery reproduction of the classical Song Dynasty (960-1279) Chinese painting masterpiece A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains was the highlight of an exhibition at the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women in Beijing in October, drawing the attention of visitors and international guests.

The 12-meter-long embroidery, crafted at a 1:1 scale to the original artwork with meticulous attention to detail, was created by a team led by Jiang Zaihong, a master of Xiang embroidery from Changsha in central China's Hunan province.

Xiang embroidery is a national-level intangible cultural heritage originating from Hunan, with "Xiang" being the Chinese abbreviation for the province.

For Jiang, 58, showcasing her work on such global platforms is more than a display of skill.

"At international events where each nation presents its finest crafts and intangible heritage, Xiang embroidery serves as an exceptional medium for cultural exchange, allowing us to share our stories with the world," she said.

Jiang has exhibited her embroidery at five expos, beginning with the Expo 2010 in Shanghai. At the China pavilion of Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, she demonstrated her skills to thousands of international visitors over the course of a week. With one hand deftly moving above the silk and the other guiding it from below, sending the needle back and forth, she stitched a lifelike tiger onto the fabric.

Foreign visitors, especially children, were captivated, Jiang recalled. "The kids crouched down around me for a closer look, asking all kinds of questions like, 'Is the tiger really embroidered?' and 'Is the fur glued on?' Many were so intrigued that they didn't want to leave."

The lifelike appearance comes from a signature Xiang embroidery technique known as pengmao zhen, or fluffy stitching, she said. "This needlework makes animal hair appear real — one end is anchored while the other stands loose and lively."

Among traditional Chinese embroidery styles, including Su embroidery from Jiangsu province and Shu embroidery from Sichuan province, Xiang embroidery stands out for its vivid realism, Jiang said.

"There's a saying about our craft," she explained: "'Flowers carry fragrance, birds seem to sing, tigers appear ready to run, and human figures convey spirit' — all describing how lifelike images can be created with our threads."

Born into a family of embroiderers and painters in Changsha, the provincial capital of Hunan, Jiang learned embroidery from her mother. At 12, she independently completed her first piece.

"It was a quilt cover with flowers and birds," she recalled, adding that it won professional recognition and was sold for 4.80 yuan ($0.70).

With that "first bucket of gold", she paid her school fees — 3.60 yuan per semester — and spent the remainder on groceries for her family.

"This proved to me that embroidery could be both a cultural heirloom and a way to live with dignity."

At 18, she joined the Hunan Embroidery Research Institute. Her first major challenge soon followed — replicating embroidery pieces unearthed from the Mawangdui Han Tombs in Changsha, which date back more than 2,200 years. To closely observe the textiles, she spent days in front of display cases at Hunan Museum.

"To protect the relics, the exhibition hall was kept very dim. It was hard to see clearly," Jiang said.

Without cameras, she sketched patterns of the ancient embroidery and meticulously annotated every detail in a notebook before practicing the stitches with her own needle and thread. Her efforts enabled her to decipher and revive ancient techniques used in the Han textiles.

For Jiang, it was more than a technical achievement; it was a reconnection with the roots of her craft.

"Recorded history says Xiang embroidery flourished during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), but the Mawangdui discovery proves that embroidery techniques in this region were already highly mature more than 2,000 years ago," she said.

In 1991, Jiang left the institute to start her own embroidery business. Her studio is now located in a quiet suburban area of Changsha and employs about 100 embroiderers.

She is committed to nurturing the next generation to carry on the intangible heritage. In addition to mentoring students in the traditional master-apprentice model, she serves as a guest professor at Hunan Normal University and lectures on Xiang embroidery at other universities.

Although she is not considering retirement any time soon, Jiang proudly points to her most special student — and designated inheritor — her 29-year-old son, Chang Jiang, as a worthy torchbearer.

Currently a doctoral student in design at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, Chang Jiang focuses his research on the role of technology in the future of Xiang embroidery.

"I'm investigating how digital tools, including artificial intelligence, could assist the next generation of inheritors," he said.

He believes that in the hands of the younger generation, intangible heritage can become younger, more fashionable and more technologically integrated.