june-2012

EVENTS /// PROFILES /// GADGETS /// PLACES /// STYLE /// DRINK
022
DISAPPEARING
ASIA
FADING
PATTERNS
The fate of Cantonese embroidery
hangs by a thread as the younger
generation shuns this age-old art
According to accounts of the earliest
history of Cantonese embroidery,
in 805AD during the Tang Dynasty
a 14-year-old girl embroidered a
wordy sutra (religious formula) on a
square foot of cloth. Seven hundred
years later, Cantonese embroidery
became known in Europe when a
Portuguese traveller presented an
embroidered dragon robe to his
king. During the Qing Dynasty,
when the British brought patterns
to Guangzhou for crafting,
embroidery masters brought a
fresh perspective to their art by
integrating elements of Western
painting into their creations.
Cantonese embroidery thrived
and new styles such as silk, thread,
bean and fl ake embroideries
materialised. At its peak, the
industry boasted more than 3,000
masters and apprentices, who were
mostly men.
But the popularity of Cantonese
embroidery declined when war broke
out in 1900. The artists struggled
to make a living when machineproduced
embroidery was introduced.
The last embroidery artist, Master Xu
Chiguang, had to retire in 1992.
“Cantonese embroidery is time
consuming. A good masterpiece
requires the collaboration of a few
artists and could take more than
a year to complete,” says Xu. “It’s
also not easy to recruit and keep
apprentices as it takes nearly a
decade to train one.”
Xu learned the art of embroidery
from his father when he was seven
years old. He has devoted more
than 60 years to the art and has
trained more than 400 apprentices.
With support from his peers, he
reopened his factory in 2003 and
returned to his career. In 2006,
he collaborated with other artists
to complete an award-winning
embroidery piece titled Lychee and
Geese, which is valued at more than
a million yuan.
Besides working in the factory,
this 80-year-old master offers free
workshops for aspiring embroidery
artists. “I can’t bear the thought of
this art dying with my generation.
None of my three grandchildren is
interested to inherit this skill,” Xu
says with a sigh.
The Cantonese Embroidery Mansion is open for visitors
FROM TOP: The
award-winning
Monday-Friday (9.30-11.30am, 2-5pm). Artworks
GUAN
Lychee and Geese; are available for purchase on the premises and at
Xu conducts
MAY
free workshops;
guangxiu.cn. 171 Dunhe Rd, Guangzhou Dadao Nan,
another work by Xu tel: +86 (20) 8421 3332.
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