The Story of Folk Embroidery Master Faxiu Li

It's a bit complicated to make a pottery plate. You have to make two pieces first. One piece is like a piece of silk. Two pieces are made of cotton, and one piece is made of silk. It's a bit difficult and slow to make. A few people can make it now, but some people can't. Have you ever seen a traditional Chinese pot that looks like Takashi Murakami's sunflowers? Today we are going to explore two minority folk embroidery. We call it Pu Zhu Pan Xiu in Chinese. Its most classical pattern is the sunflower, which is often used in traditional Tuo minority clothes. Its origin dates back 1,600 years ago. My name is Li Fa Xiu. I am a descendant of Pu Zhu Pan Xiu. My mother taught me how to make it. In the old days, my mother used to make it for me one by one. When I was seven years old, we had a hard life in the countryside. My father passed away when I was a few years old. My mother had five children. She had no children and no money. When I finished making it, my mother said, when your daughter grows up, let her go home and make it. When she was happy, I was happy, too. It has three unique characteristics, with the most recognizable one being the rainbow color. It represents pure joy and happiness and frankly reminds us of the pop art movement that was prevalent in Western countries during the mid to late 1950s. The second is the special stitching. They use two needles and two threads. While one thread is thicker than the other, the thicker thread is used to make the circular shape, while the thinner one is meant to stabilize the circle. The third unique quality of this type of embroidery is the mysterious pattern originating from their rich history and culture, such as the sunflower, the most classical symbol in Tu minority, which symbolizes good fortune and health. If you look closer at the center of the sunflower, there is a taiji, which symbolizes the balance of yin and yang, a well-known Chinese philosophy reflected in every aspect of Chinese culture. Other symbols, like the Chinese nut, the cloud, the head-to-toe patterns, all symbolize unity and prosperity. The pattern designer, the needle, we use the yellow needle. All the materials we use are auspicious patterns. Interestingly enough, the master of Tu folk embroidery, Bei Ba Xiu, told us, back then, it was necessary for every girl to master this craft, and they had a custom to showcase their needlework at their wedding, Bai Zhen Xian, to prove how smart and diligent they were, and whether they had the potential to be a good wife one day. When the dowry was made, there was a small exhibition at the wedding. On the day of the wedding, the bride's family would stand up and comment on the dress, the shoes, the necklaces, and the dress. The dress was made by them, and they would say, you did a good job, But now, this custom is disappearing. Less and less young people want to learn about it. They don't wear their traditional wedding coat anymore, and neither do they speak their own language. In 1985, Li Ba Xiu attended a national show to promote their crafting skills. It was during this event that she met someone that changed her life forever. A Canadian traveler, Callow, was drawn to her stand. She said, Callow handed her a picture she would like embroidered, plus a hundred RMB, and left. Ba Xiu was deeply moved by her generosity. In return, she even made an additional piece and shipped both to her. What's more, Callow came back a few years later and bought four more pieces from Ba Xiu. Both interactions brought so much joy to Ba Xiu. So, here for the first time, Ba Xiu would like to share a few words with Callow. From the ignorance of childhood to the perseverance of her parents, Callow is determined to make a difference in the world. From the ignorance of childhood to the perseverance of the present, she cultivated admiration for the crowd every step of the way.