Wu Junmin: A needle and a thread to embroider the colorful embroidery to the new and far-reaching embroidery culture

Shanxi Province is located in the middle reaches of the Yellow River and is one of the important birthplaces of Chinese embroidery culture.

Turning over the history, the unique Jin embroidery has spanned more than 5,000 years of history; looking at the present, the integration of painting, dyeing, cutting skills of the Jin embroidery is blooming with a new charm; imagine the future, the blueprint planning of the Jin Embroidery China Art Museum, the digital plate making and industrial production of the ancient embroidery pieces, will make the Jin embroidery in the production, research, learning of the whole industry chain to build and brand building a new level.

Recently, the Tang Embroidery Workshop where Wu Junmin, the master of arts and crafts in Shanxi Province, the fourth-generation inheritor of the Jin embroidery "Wu's embroidery method", the intangible cultural heritage of Shanxi Province, and the head of the Tang Embroidery Workshop, Wu Junmin, has just won the title of "Top Ten Poetic Research Bases (Camps)" in the 10th Chinese Poetry Spring Festival Gala in 2023

In this issue, Jin people ingenuity walked into the Tang embroidery workshop, and talked to Wu Junmin, the master of arts and crafts in Shanxi Province, the fourth-generation embroidery inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of Shanxi Province Jin embroidery "Wu's embroidery method", and the head of the Tang embroidery workshop.

Fusion of local and exotic Jin embroidery "Wu's embroidery method" is ingenious

The cute tiger head hat, the three-dimensional lion rolling hydrangea tail, the bat clip-and-embroidered hat ornament full of falling tassels, and the brightly colored phoenix flower bib...... Walking into the Tang Dynasty Embroidery Workshop, in the display cabinet and hanging on the wall, a piece of precious old embroidery pieces makes people can't take their eyes off. These embroidery pieces were left by Wu Junmin's grandmother, and some of them are hundreds of years old.

Take out an old embroidery piece casually, it is a boutique full of ingenuity. "You see, how vivid and realistic this lion rolling hydrangea hat is. This piece alone uses nail embroidery, flat needle embroidery, pile drum embroidery, raffia embroidery and other embroidery methods. Wu Junmin introduced the old embroidery pieces like a few treasures. The tail of the lion roller hydrangea is embroidered with red and green satin, embroidered and stitched in parts. On the embroidery piece, the lion hair part is made of velvet thread to reflect the texture of the hair, the lion's mouth is hung with colorful hydrangea that can swing flexibly, and the tail of the hat is also decorated with sparkling decorative sequins. Gently shake the tail of the hat, and a vivid picture of a lion rolling hydrangea jumps in front of you, which is cute and smart, and lifelike.

These old embroidery pieces are just a glimpse of the history of Jin embroidery. "If Suzhou embroidery is a fine brush painting, then Jin embroidery is a freehand painting. Wu Junmin introduced, Jin embroidery style variety, colorful, simple composition, exaggerated shape, very simple and rough folk customs of the Loess Plateau, truly reflect the simple and natural folk life of the land of the Three Jin Dynasty.

Jin embroidery in the Tang Dynasty has been popular "lock embroidery" method, the Tang Dynasty began to invent the "flat needle embroidery" method, because of the needle method changes, "flat needle embroidery" method has also become one of the most important embroidery methods of Jin embroidery to this day. Among them, the more outstanding representative of the Jin embroidery "Wu's embroidery" stitch method is divided into 9 categories of more than 200 kinds, pile bone embroidery, applique embroidery, yarn embroidery all belong to the "Wu's embroidery method" original, characterized by the embroidery process to be shaped and three-dimensional production.

"When my grandfather was doing business in Kyakhta, he often brought back some exotic embroidery objects decorated with small tassels, small silverware, small bells, etc., and my grandmother embroidered these exotic materials into each piece of embroidery. Wu Junmin said that these elements make the Jin embroidery "Wu's embroidery method" from the beginning of the integration of Shanxi's local customs and exotic customs on the Wanli Tea Road.

More than 30 years of needlework and embroidery have been studied and practiced well

Wu Junmin's skillful hands are inherited from his grandmother, who is excellent at embroidery, and his mother, who loves painting. Wu Junmin, born in Fenyang, Shanxi Province in 1965, was subtly influenced by his family, and has been fond of painting and folk embroidery since he was a child.

In the 80s of the 20th century, Wu Junmin, who was in his early 20s, was recruited into the Taiyuan Costume Embroidery Factory. During this period, Wu Junmin combined painting and embroidery, and learned Xi mastered various costume embroidery essentials and export yarn embroidery and other production techniques. Wu Junmin integrates the skills passed down from his ancestors and teachers to form a unique embroidery method with Wu's characteristics.

"At that time, as soon as I had time, I took the paper with a blank surface and began to draw embroidery patterns. Sometimes everyone else is eating and resting, and I'm very energetic in painting. As he spoke, Wu Junmin took out four thick manuscripts. Almost all of the manuscripts were created on repurposed paper, from dragons, phoenixes, lions and tigers to birds and animals, from flowers, birds, fish and insects to cartoon characters, there are thousands of works. Wu Junmin is a caring person, as long as there is a favorite pattern on the waste paper boxes and gift bags thrown away by others, she has to cut them out for collection, accumulate creative materials, and stimulate creative inspiration.

In the 90s, Wu Junmin was transferred to work in the embroidery workshop of Shanxi Textile Printing and Dyeing Factory, and was later sent to Shenzhen to learn Xi computer PC embroidery plate-making software technology, becoming the backbone of the embroidery workshop. This work experience allowed Wu Junmin to master the cutting-edge embroidery and plate-making technology in addition to painting and design.

After the factory went bankrupt, Wu Junmin and her husband rented the machine of the original unit to open the door to entrepreneurship. While developing machine embroidery orders, she also engaged in the creation of Jin embroidery art. In 1998, Wu Junmin established "Taiyuan Baihui Embroidery Company", which was renamed "Taiyuan Tangren Embroidery Art Development Co., Ltd." in 2009.

Since then, Wu Junmin has actively participated in the national training program of Chinese arts and crafts "Tsinghua Academy of Fine Arts Fiber Art Advanced Seminar", the Central Cultural Management Cadre College "China Arts and Crafts Advanced Seminar" and other Xi and exchanges. With the enrichment of the Jin embroidery "Wu's embroidery method", the intangible cultural heritage of Jin embroidery is also known by more people.

Combined with painting, dyeing, cutting and other crafts to recreate, the traditional Jin embroidery bursts out of the vitality of the times

On a small canvas, the main picture is painted with a brush dipped in acrylic paint, and then left blank, and then embroidered with needles and threads to highlight the focus and layers...... Nowadays, the ancient Jin embroidery in the hands of Wu Junmin is showing the charm of the times in a new way of opening.

"The work retains the original charm of brush and ink, and adds a three-dimensional sense of objects and images through embroidery technology, and at the same time, it also applies core technical means such as 'integration of painting and embroidery' and 'integration of dyeing and embroidery' to achieve new transcendence. Wu Junmin introduced that in the process of studying the embroidery process, he has always wanted to rely on the traditional Jin embroidery and integrate other handicraft circles, so that the Jin embroidery has iterative updates in embroidery methods and work presentation.

Over the years, Wu Junmin has created new techniques such as "writing with needles, polishing with threads, taking piles as bones, and three-dimensional as shapes", and recreating them on the basis of pursuing the original appearance of the sketches;

Nowadays, the Jin embroidery "Wu's embroidery method" is perfectly combined with the technical means of "painting and embroidery", "dyeing and embroidery", "cutting and embroidery" and "man-machine integration", so that the cultural treasure of Jin embroidery has achieved a new transcendence on the basis of retaining the traditional embroidery style.

In order to promote the intangible cultural heritage skills of Jin embroidery and let the general public, especially young people, perceive Jin embroidery, Wu Junmin also established an intangible cultural heritage Jin embroidery research base, actively expanding diversified Jin embroidery display, performance experience and interaction, and integrating the experience project of Jin embroidery new technology has also entered the research course. "Through the study course, the public and children can understand the past and present life of Jin embroidery, and through painting and embroidery on the embroidery bandage, we can perceive the new technology of Jin embroidery in the contemporary era, which is of great significance to the protection and inheritance of Jin embroidery intangible cultural heritage. She said.

The art museum exhibits industrial production, based on embroidery, broadens the "circle of friends" of intangible cultural heritage

Wu Junmin is a persistent person, at every stage, she will set goals and tasks for herself. Today, 57-year-old Wu Junmin is still sprouting new ideas, trying to achieve further innovation and breakthroughs in the whole industrial chain of Jin embroidery production, research and learning.

"Jin embroidery culture and Chinese embroidery culture have the same origin and the same vein, is an important part of the Chinese national art treasure house, it is necessary to set up an art museum, the ancient intangible cultural heritage of Jin embroidery to collect, display, promote. "The blueprint for the establishment of the Jinxiu Chinese Art Museum has been planned in Wu Junmin's heart for a long time. In the future, Wu Junmin plans to build the Jinxiu Chinese Art Museum into a city living room, a museum around the masses, a non-genetic Xi and talent training base, so that the public can perceive the thick Shanxi culture and far-reaching embroidery culture from the systematic combing of the history of Jin embroidery, the display and display of ancient embroidery pieces, and the interactive experience of Jin embroidery skills.

Let art come to life, and life art. Wu Junmin plans to create a series of works of Shanxi cultural landscape, with the innovative means of "man-machine integration" and "integration of painting and embroidery", combined with characteristic cultural elements such as Shanxi ancient cities, ancient towns, tourist attractions, and operas, to design and transform the Jin embroidery products that the masses like to see, and through the traditional culture into colleges, scenic spots, and communities to display, performance, experience, interaction, live broadcast and other forms, so that Jin embroidery has become a carrier for promoting Shanxi culture, connecting the clothing, food, housing, and other forms of ordinary people's clothing, food, housing, line, harvest more young consumer groups, and lead Jinxiu to a new highland of cultural tourism and fashion consumption.

Jin embroidery is a treasure, but there is a dilemma. Wu Junmin said frankly that as a carrier of folk spirit or emotional sustenance, the historical Jin embroidery was neither sought after and appreciated by literati and dignitaries, nor did it cause the discovery and even commercial operation of the famous Jin merchants. Therefore, there are fewer Jin embroidery products that become commodities, especially the formation of high value-added Jin embroidery products, and the embroidery products of Jin embroidery have low grade, few high-quality products, a small proportion of professional and skilled personnel, and a small production scale. Next, Wu Junmin plans to collect more ancient embroidery pieces or embroidery drawings of Jin embroidery, and promote the industrialization and large-scale production of folk embroidery, a traditional craft of Jin embroidery, through digital plate making.

Source: Shanxi Evening News