IT is not common in China to see a young man doing embroidery.

    But Jiang Tongwan, in his 20s, owns a workshop in Hunan Province. He is one of the first of 11 male vocational school graduates to major in Hunan-style embroidery. “Many people didn’t understand my choice,” he said. “I would then tell them that Hunan embroidery is part of our traditional culture which we should pass on.”

    Chinese embroidery boasts a long history of several thousand years. Xiangxiu, or Hunan embroidery, is one of the four major styles. It features light and shading that give the picture a three-dimensional effect.

    The industry peaked in the 1970s and 1980s but began dwindling after an embroidery plant in Changsha, which employed about 30,000 artisans, closed down. The revenue of the plant was more than 1 million yuan (US$152,200).

    The situation changed in the 1990s, when many plants, including the one in Changsha, closed.

    “There were many causes for the depression,” said He Chun, an expert in cultural industry. “Fake products, obsolete designs and high prices were the main cause, which resulted from lack of intellectual property awareness and shortage of talents.”

    In the worst days, the Hunan Embroidery City Group had only two workshops and four workers.

    Zeng Yingming, general manager of the Hunan Embroidery City Group, then cut the production of traditional ornamental pieces by 80 percent and turned to manufacturing articles for daily use. “Capes to Spain, shoes to Italy, dresses to Japan and school uniforms to the Republic of Korea,” he said. “We do everything to meet the needs of our customers.” Daily use commodities now account for up to 95 percent of the company’s products.

    Now the group has grown into a modern enterprise with more than 10,000 workers and an output of 1.5 billion yuan a year. Its products are sold to more than 10 countries. The export stands at about US$30 million last year.

    The reform was not without criticism. A Xiangxiu master, who declined to be named, told Xinhua that it was a pity for an art form with a history of 2,000 years to be used for cheap commodities.

    “I really don’t want to see the brand of Xiangxiu lose its taste,” the master said. “For the traditional handicraft art, the only way to survive is to combine art with marketing, develop new products that can meet a variety of demands nowadays,” Zeng said.

    (Xinhua)