Yang Miao—the pathfinder of Dong brocade fashion 杨苗——侗锦时尚的开路人

孟洁

古老的侗锦文化在侗家姑娘杨苗的手中焕发生机。这是平凡的女性在当今时代，对于文化传承的发声。

1.weave v. 编;织

2.artisan n. 手艺人;工匠

3.embroidery n. 刺绣

4.linen n. 亚麻布

5.Dong brocade 侗锦

6.Dong ethnic minority 侗族

7.intangible cultural heritage 非物质文化遗产

8.shoulder cape 披肩

Yang Miao was born in a village of Dong brocade weavers. Her childhood clothes were all made by her mother， and the patterns came from the daily life of members of the Dong ethnic minority. Yang left the remote Tongdao County in southwest China's Hunan Province to learn design in Changsha City， the provincial capital. One time， she went back to her hometown with her classmates and professor to study the region's intangible cultural heritage. For the first time， she found innovation（创新） in the local ethnic culture and felt the energy in the hand-woven Dong brocade.

However， artisans traditionally weaved more than they could sell. A shoulder cape that requires 40 days to finish would cost less than 100 yuan （14 US dollars）. The younger generation had no motivation to inherit （繼承） the skill.

So， Yang set out to preserve her heritage by modernizing the embroidery art. Famous designers were invited to help design new patterns. The combination of the elements， however， didn't work well at the beginning. As the designers were not familiar with how the brocade was made， the patterns could not be achieved using traditional techniques. Yang's crew and the designers had to learn the essence（精髓） of the Dong brocade from local weavers. Yang has fully dedicated herself to the development and preservation of the Dong brocade since 2011. She established（创立） her own brand and introduced new materials and colors， combining ethnic and modern aesthetics （美学）.

The linen products she created with the team even won a golden medal at the first Hunan Cultural Creative Design Competition. The success of Yang's products brought more income to the local weavers， and attracted more young talents to work on the Dong brocade back in their hometown. “The weavers are happy， too. They've been desperate to be recognized with a sense of belonging.” “Our brocade has been exhibited in Milan， Paris， London and New York，” she said. The once little-known Dong culture in remote rural areas is now spread across the world.

1.What inspires Yang Miao directly to promote Dong brocade？

A.The huge profit of shoulder capes.

B.The learning experience in Changsha.

C.The innovation and magic of the Dong brocade.

D.The encouragement of her mother since childhood.

2.What's the difficulty in modernizing the art？

A.Famous designers were hardly invited.

B.New patterns couldn't be created by modern techniques.

C.Development，preservation and introduction call for much energy.

D.Much time is needed to combine the traditional art and modern techniques.

I.Important phrases in the text

1.have no motivation to do 沒有动力去做……

2.set out to do 着手做某事;开始做某事

3.work well 有效;效果好

4.dedicate oneself to sth 专心致力于某事

5.be desperate to do 渴望做某事

Ⅱ.Complete the following sentences in correct forms with the phrases given above.

1.Yang ________  preserve her heritage by modernizing the embroidery art.

2.The weavers are happy， too. They've  ________  be recognized with a sense of belonging.

3.The younger generation   ________  inherit the skill.

4.The combination of the elements， however， didn't   ________ at the beginning.

5.Yang has fully    ________ the development and preservation of the Dong brocade since 2011.