Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province, located in the Wumeng Mountains, is the largest Yi inhabited area in mainland China, with more than half of the population being Yi people. The natural landscape here is magnificent, the ethnic customs are rich, and the cultural accumulation is profound, and the Yi embroidery with its delicate stitching, gorgeous colors and unique patterns, the beautiful scenery and profound culture of Liangshan are depicted and deeply engraved, and it has become a vivid way to record the unique charm of this land.
As a craft that many Yi women have learned since childhood, Yi embroidery has a history of thousands of years. For a long time, Yi embroidery is mainly self-sufficient, under the impact of rapid economic and social development and new technologies, Yi embroidery culture once faced the crisis of loss. In recent years, Liangshan Prefecture has continued to make efforts to protect intangible cultural heritage, and has explored a development path of "intangible cultural heritage +", which has given new vitality to traditional skills such as Yi embroidery.
A few days ago, when the reporter met the representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage Yi embroidery (Liangshan Yi embroidery) in Ganluo County, Sichuan Province, Axi Wuzhimo, she had just returned from training trainees in the countryside, and she had no time to take a breath, so she began to introduce her embroidery. Despite being in her sixties, she still travels every day to cooperatives, training centers and township training.
Skillfully "weave" a better life
Asi Wuzhimo was born in 1962 and is a native of Haitang Town, Ganluo County. Most of the Yi women learned embroidery from their elders since childhood, but they basically embroidered for their own use. Asiwunomo is no exception, she began learning embroidery from her mother at the age of 10.
In the 90s of the 20th century, in order to make a living, Asi Wuzhimo set up a street stall on the street, selling small items such as candy, needlework, and fabrics. In the process of business, she often chatted with people who bought needlework, fabrics about embroidery, and with her love for Yi embroidery, Axi Wuzhimo began to have the idea of operating Yi clothing. After making up her mind, she traveled all over the mountains and rivers of 17 counties and cities in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture to observe and learn different Yi embroidery skills.
As the Yi embroidery skills gradually became proficient, Axi Wuzhimo began to devote himself to the design and production of Yi embroidery. In order to let more people know about her embroidery, she started sewing clothes for the children of acquaintances for free, and over time, more and more people came to her door and asked her to help design and make them. From children's clothes, to wedding dresses, to festive costumes, Assiwunomo has become more and more famous in the local area.
In 1993, Axi Wuzhimo opened a Yi embroidery franchise store in the county seat, becoming the first person in Ganluo County to bring Yi embroidery to the market. While selling and taking orders, she studied and supervised apprentices. Her embroidery not only follows the characteristics of traditional Yi embroidery, but also adds modern elements. Due to the variety of embroidered patterns and inlaid lace patterns, rich and harmonious tones, and exquisite workmanship, her embroidery gradually opened up the market.
In 2012, Axi Wuzhimo was identified as the representative inheritor of the traditional embroidery skills of the Yi nationality at the provincial level. In 2017, she was awarded the title of "The First Rural Handicraft Master of Sichuan Province (Embroidery, Dyeing and Weaving)". On February 19 this year, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced the list of recommended candidates for the sixth batch of representative inheritors of national intangible cultural heritage.
From the "illiterate" peasant woman to the famous embroidery girl, and then to the inheritor of non-genetic inheritance, embroidery has changed the trajectory of Asi Wuzhimo's life, and she is also changing the trajectory of more people's lives.
Soma flowers bloom in Daliang Mountain
Whenever the twilight is low and the sound of insects whispers outside the window, Asiwunomo will sit by the window, holding a needle in one hand and an embroidery piece in the other, and between the flipping of his fingertips, a Soma flower quietly blooms on the black cotton cloth, the petal lines are clear, and it looks quiet and beautiful under the illumination of the moonlight.
Soma flower is the Yi language name for wild rhododendrons in Liangshan area, which means the flower of welcoming guests, and is synonymous with holiness, auspiciousness and beauty. Locals who want to praise the beauty of women often say, "You are like a Soma flower." ”
As a native of Liangshan, Asi Wuzhimo knows that mastering a craft means a lot to local women. In order to allow more people to learn the handicraft of Yi embroidery, Axi Wuzhimo decided to open a class to recruit apprentices, "The first is to let them learn a skill to make their lives better, and the second is to promote the traditional skill of Yi embroidery." In 2011, Asi Wuzhimo began to set up special training courses and tutorial classes on Yi embroidery in various towns and villages in Ganluo County, teaching local rural women Yi embroidery skills.
In 2019, in order to allow more people to inherit the intangible cultural heritage of Yi embroidery, Axi Wuzhimo gathered his "students" to establish the first Yi embroidery professional cooperative in Sichuan Province - Ganluo County Yi Needle Yi Thread Embroidery Professional Cooperative, allowing 1,700 people to sell embroidery handicrafts through the cooperative and achieve flexible employment at home.
In the past few years, when the clarion call for poverty alleviation sounded in Liangshan, Axi Wuzhimo actively assisted the relevant departments of Liangshan Prefecture to hold more than 20 Yi embroidery training courses, trained more than 2,000 students, and led the majority of left-behind women to embark on the road to prosperity. In addition to teaching technology and craftsmanship, Axi Wuzhimo also integrated the concept of developing good living habits and establishing a new style of civilization into her daily communication with the embroidery girls, and mobilized the members of the cooperative to actively participate in activities such as "Fresh Air Supermarket", "Tree New Wind to Help Poverty Alleviation", and Clean Beauty Family Competition to help rural revitalization.
In half a century, Axi Wuzhimo not only embroidered one Soma flower after another with his own skills, but also led one after another "Soma flowers" to bloom in Daliang Mountain with embroidery skills. Up to now, Asi Wuzhimo has helped more than 5,000 people master Yi embroidery skills, and their Yi embroidery works have also begun to make wonderful appearances in major fashion weeks.
Intangible cultural heritage skills have stepped onto the international stage
In May 2023, an ingenious art exhibition with the theme of "hand in hand" opened in Beijing. Among the most eye-catching items in the exhibition is the special handbag created by an internationally renowned luxury brand and the inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of the Yi people, one of the oldest ethnic groups in the southwest of the mainland. This handbag integrates the traditional embroidery and silver skills of the Yi nationality into the design of the bag, bringing the traditional skills of the Yi culture into the world of modern aesthetics, which has aroused the attention and understanding of many people to Yi embroidery, and the embroidery part on the handbag is from the hand of Asiwu Zhimo.
The black velvet fabric is vividly outlined with blue, green and aqua silk threads, showing the beauty of traditional Chinese craftsmanship to the world. Axi Wuzhimo told reporters that in order to show the characteristics of Yi embroidery craftsmanship exquisite and gorgeous, diverse techniques and vivid patterns, these embroideries were completed by themselves one by one, with a total of 400 hours and a total of 350,000 stitches.
Since 1967, when he came into contact with Yi embroidery, Axi Wuzhimo has devoted more than 50 years of time and effort to this intangible cultural heritage skill, "No matter day or night, I will spend a lot of time with embroidery and study embroidery." Talking about this cooperation with international brands, Axi Wuzhimo happily said that through this cooperation, the traditional culture of the Yi nationality has been shown to the world and more people have understood the charm of Yi embroidery, which is a good start.
Talking about his future plans, Asiwuzhimo said: "In the past, the Yi people usually wore traditional clothes on important days. Now I want to design simpler and more fashionable Yi embroidery clothes that can be worn for more occasions and so that everyone can wear them every day. I hope that in the future, I can build a professional training school for Yi embroidery, spread the knowledge and skills of Yi embroidery, and let Yi embroidery go out of the mountains and be accepted and loved by more people. ”
It's a long journey
Only struggle pays tribute to every struggler!
Source/China Women's Daily
Author/China Women's Daily all-media reporter Huang Wei
Editor/Zhao Rui
Review/Mingfang
Executive Producer/Qiao Hong