In the folk, Wuxi girls began to learn to pick flowers from the age of 11 or 12, and most of the embroidered works were "dowry" when they got married, such as love tokens, bed covers, bed curtains, mosquito nets, etc., which conveyed women's yearning for a better marriage, so they were named "Wuxi Wedding Flowers".
The Wuxi woman embroidered her dowry under the guidance of her mother. Photo courtesy of Wuxi County Culture and Tourism Commission
As one of the important representatives of Ba embroidery, Wuxi wedding flowers are like exquisite paintings, slowly unfolding in the long river of time, which tells ancient and moving legends. Nowadays, the story of Baxiu is continuing to be staged in modern society with a new attitude.
Today (17th), a reporter from Hualong Network learned from the Wuxi County Culture and Tourism Committee that the first Ba embroidery (Wuxi wedding flower) creative design competition (hereinafter referred to as the Ba embroidery design competition) will be officially launched at 13:14 on May 20.
Explore the pearl of intangible cultural heritage and show the charm of Ba embroidery
Ba embroidery is a traditional Chinese embroidery, originated in the ancient town of Ningchang in Wuxi County, Chongqing City, Ba embroidery contains a variety of types, such as Daning River embroidery, pick flowers, etc., among which Wuxi wedding flowers as an important representative.
Wuxi marrying old embroidery piece: color pick star anise. Photo courtesy of Wuxi County Culture and Tourism Commission
Bashan and Yushui have created the simple and extraordinary creativity of the working people of Wuxi, in this land, Ba embroidery is like an ancient and elegant dancer, with a needle as a pen and a thread as ink, dancing with the rhythm of thousands of years of inheritance. Wuxi Wedding Flower, a cultural treasure, has been inherited for thousands of years and has been approved by the State Council to be included in the fifth batch of national intangible cultural heritage representative projects.
The purpose of this Ba Embroidery Design Competition is to promote the innovative development of intangible cultural heritage and traditional folk culture, so that traditional handicrafts such as Ba embroidery can be better integrated into modern design and modern life, and help the non-heritage industry.
The relevant person in charge of Wuxi County Culture and Tourism Committee said that he expects to widely solicit Ba embroidery design works combining traditional embroidery and modern fashion from handicraft enterprises across the country, students from national art and design colleges, designer teams, and handicraft enthusiasts.
Wuxi Wedding Flowers: Group Fan. Photo courtesy of Wuxi County Culture and Tourism Commission
"This Ba embroidery design competition can enable the contestants to deepen their understanding of the Ba embroidery skills, styles, performance techniques, patterns and decorative characteristics, and design innovative products of Ba embroidery culture through creativity, integration and innovation, expand the popularity and influence of Ba embroidery, and help the development of the Ba embroidery industry."
Share a 100,000 cash prize, you can come if you have the strength!
With the change of the times, Ba embroidery is also constantly innovating and developing, on the basis of retaining traditional craftsmanship, it is necessary to integrate more modern elements and fashion concepts in order to make the traditional skills glow with new vitality.
According to the organizers of the event, the Ba embroidery design competition is divided into two categories: clothing and cultural creativity, and the collection of works is from May 20 to June 30, 2024. The work must be original and must not infringe on the intellectual property rights of others, and can be cultural and creative works in the form of clothing or life aesthetics, office supplies, furniture supplies, etc.
Wuxi wedding flower cultural and creative products. Photo courtesy of Wuxi County Culture and Tourism Commission
During the solicitation period, each participant or unit can submit less than 5 works, and register and upload a single work separately, at that time, the organizer will invite design experts to select 40 shortlisted works and display them online.
After the preliminary selection, the organizer will make the 40 shortlisted works into physical objects, and invite a professional jury to conduct a final review and select the corresponding awards in the clothing and cultural and creative categories (clothing category: 1 design star, 2 splendid flowers, 3 creative buds; Cultural and creative category: 1 design star, 2 embroidered Wenxin, 3 embroidered heart unique rhyme), and give cash rewards and certificate trophies, the maximum bonus is up to 20,000 yuan (bonus tax included). Certificates of honor will be awarded to the shortlisted works, and the final selection results will be publicized in the media and subject to social supervision.
The award-winning works will be exhibited at the same time, and the Ba Embroidery Design Seminar will help the development of the industry
The reporter of Hualong Network learned that on the day of the award ceremony, the award-winning works will be exhibited, and a seminar on the embroidery industry will be held, inviting major domestic embroidery experts, designers, intangible cultural heritage inheritors, embroidery enthusiasts and other relevant guests to discuss the future development of the intangible cultural heritage embroidery industry.
In addition, the organizers of the competition will also successively launch many wonderful activities such as the Ba Embroidery Intangible Cultural Heritage Skills Competition, the Ba Embroidery Open Class, the Wuxi Wedding Insole Flower Picking Competition, the Ba Embroidery Flash Exhibition and the Exhibition of Design Finished Products, inviting embroidery lovers from all over the country to come and experience the exquisite beauty of the intangible cultural heritage Ba embroidery skills.
"In this skills competition, traditional Ba embroidery and modern design will collide with bright sparks, showing the infinite charm of Ba embroidery art, I hope everyone will actively participate and feel the beauty of Wuxi Ba embroidery intangible cultural heritage skills together." The organizers said.
Whether it is used as a wedding gift or as a messenger of intangible cultural heritage skills, Bayu embroidery will convey the love and pursuit of a better life of the Bayu people with its exquisite craftsmanship and profound cultural connotation.
Hualong Net, Lu Dan, Ran Changjun
Editor: Li Zhiheng