In Suzhou, China, there is a woman known as the "Queen of Suzhou Embroidery", her name is Yao Jianping, who once embroidered a portrait of the Mexican president and his wife, and this work took 120 million stitches! This kind of skill and patience, it is no wonder that she can show amazing artistic results with stitches and threads. How did this master of Suzhou embroidery reach the top step by step?
Yao Jianping's story began in 1967, she was born in Zhenhu, Suzhou, which is not only a beautiful landscape, but also a famous embroidery industry base in China, with a history of more than 2,000 years. Since childhood, Yao Jianping has lived in such an environment full of Suzhou embroidery culture, and her mother is a skilled embroiderer, who often embroiders some exquisite embroidery works at home. Perhaps it was this family environment that planted the seeds of Yao Jianping's deep interest in the art of Suzhou embroidery.
Unlike other children who play outside, Yao Jianping prefers to sit quietly next to her mother, watching her dexterous hands dance on the cloth, showing not only skills, but also a kind of inheritance and cultural precipitation. At a young age, she can already realize that Suzhou embroidery is not only a craft, but also an art. Her mother discovered Yao Jianping's talent and decided to train her embroidery herself. At just eight years old, Yao Jianping has shown extraordinary embroidery potential, being able to divide 128 threads as thin as a hair, a skill that is extremely rare in the industry.
With the continuous honing of skills, Yao Jianping's love for Suzhou embroidery is increasing day by day. She did not choose the usual academic path, but decided to devote herself to the study of Suzhou embroidery. Giving up the opportunity to go to university, she chose to enter the Arts and Crafts School in Suzhou, which is a place dedicated to cultivating arts and crafts talents. Here, Yao Jianping works and studies part-time, learning theoretical knowledge during the day and practicing skills at night, and her life is almost completely filled by Suzhou embroidery.
Although she faced many difficulties and challenges during this time, and was even ridiculed and misunderstood by the outside world, these did not destroy her faith, but made her determination stronger. Yao Jianping's study at the Arts and Crafts School not only greatly improved her basic skills, but also allowed her to try more complex and innovative embroidery works. After graduation, she did not stop, but continued her studies and entered the Suzhou Embroidery Research Institute, where she studied under Xu Zhihui, a master of Suzhou embroidery.
During the four years of the institute, Yao Jianping was accompanied by needlework and thread every day, and her skills tended to perfection in continuous practice. She knows that every stitch and thread of Suzhou embroidery not only represents the exquisite skills, but also carries the profound cultural heritage and artistic charm of China. Finally, after several years of experience in the Suzhou embroidery industry, she began to slowly break into the fame, her works began to be recognized in various exhibitions and competitions, and even began to receive some important national gift creation tasks.
In 2014, Yao Jianping had a special opportunity to create portraits of the Mexican president and his wife. This is not only a recognition of her skills, but also an important way of cultural exchange between countries. When Yao Jianping received this task, she only had a few days to prepare. But instead of backing down, she completed this daunting task with incredible speed and precision. When the Mexican President and his wife received this special gift, they were deeply moved by its exquisite craftsmanship and profound cultural connotations.
This work is not just an embroidery, but also a bridge that connects the two cultures over a long distance. Yao Jianping's reputation has also risen, and her name and her works have become more widely known. In the following years, Yao Jianping continued to challenge herself, from embroidering traditional flowers, birds, fish and insects to complex portraits, each creation strives to break through herself and show the beauty of Suzhou embroidery to the fullest.
In addition to the improvement of skills, Yao Jianping is also actively involved in the inheritance and education of Suzhou embroidery, and she often gives lectures and exhibitions in various places, hoping to let more people understand and love this ancient art. She also opened a studio and taught students herself, hoping to train more successors to Suzhou embroidery. Among her students, many of them went on to become industry elites. Yao Jianping knows that a person's power is limited, and only by allowing more people to join in the inheritance of this art can Suzhou embroidery truly carry forward.
Yao Jianping is also constantly exploring the possibility of combining Suzhou embroidery with modern art. She tries to combine Suzhou embroidery techniques with modern design concepts to create works that are more in line with modern aesthetics. This attempt not only rejuvenates the art of Suzhou embroidery, but also enables Suzhou embroidery to cross borders and go to the world.
Yao Jianping's story is a legend about persistence and innovation. With her own hands, she paints vivid pictures in detail, which not only shows her personal artistic pursuit, but also reflects the depth and continuity of the culture of an era.