Grand Canal on a Suzhou Embroidery Artwork

苏绣作品上的大运河

As one of the national intangible cultural heritages， Suzhou Embroidery boasts a history of more than 2，000 years， and is known for its elegant pattern， artistic design， fine handwork and varied stitches.

A team led by Yao Huifen， a master of Suzhou Embroidery， completed a 4-meter-long work showcasing the rich cultural heritage along the Grand Canal within two months.

The artwork was commissioned by the China Grand Canal Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Hall， which is located in Cangzhou City of Hebei Province. The facility showcases time-honored crafts collected from the eight regions along the ancient waterway system， namely Beijing， Tianjin， Hebei， Shandong， Jiangsu， Zhejiang， Henan and Anhui.

To reflect the canal’s splendid culture and history through Suzhou Embroidery， Yao and her team worked closely from design to stitching to ensure the best quality.

It’s quite challenging to ensure consistency in style and quality for such a large creation， since each embroiderer has her own methods and habits. But Yao， as the team leader， never compromised in ensuring the beauty and artistry—iconic features of Suzhou Embroidery—even if it meant making difficult adjustments.

苏绣是国家级非物质文化遗产之一，拥有2000多年的历史，以其精美的图案、艺术的设计、精细的手工和多样的针法而闻名。

由苏绣大师姚惠芬带领的团队在两个月内完成了一件4米长的作品，展示了大运河沿岸丰富的文化遗产。

这幅作品是由位于河北省沧州市的中国大运河非物质文化遗产展览馆委托制作的。作品展示了来自北京、天津、河北、山东、江苏、浙江、河南和安徽八个古水道系统地区的历史悠久的工艺品。

为了通过苏绣体现运河的灿烂文化和历史，姚和她的团队从设计到缝合都密切合作，以确保最好的品质。

对于如此宏大的作品，要确保风格和质量的一致性是相当具有挑战性的，因为每个刺绣师都有自己的刺绣方法和习惯。但作为领队，姚在保证苏绣的标志性特征——美观和艺术性方面，即使要做出艰难的调整，也从不妥协。

The 2-month creation resembles an exquisite classical Chinese brush painting， bringing to life the captivating scenery of the canal， such as water ripples， lush greenery， sailing boats and buildings on the banks.

The final work creatively displays 41 items recognized as national intangible cultural heritages， including Beijing’s gold lacquer inlay art， kite-making， Peking Opera， crosstalk， Henan Opera， Taishan shadow puppetry and salt drying techniques.

Yao said that the most challenging part of the work was creating characters. “We employed more than ten kinds of stitches to create complex details of people， as well as the houses， bridges， boats and trees. As a result， the folk customs， iconic buildings and prosperous scenes along the Grand Canal can all be found in this artwork.”

As a native of Suzhou， Yao has a deep connection to the Grand Canal. “It’s an honor to present the charm of the waterway and protect the cultural heritage with Suzhou Embroidery，” Yao said.

这幅历时两个月而成的作品就像一幅精美的中国古典水墨画，将大运河的迷人景色栩栩如生地展现出来，比如水波荡漾、绿树葱葱、帆船和河岸上的建筑。

最终的作品创造性地展示了41项被认定为国家级非物质文化遗产的项目，包括北京的金漆镶嵌艺术、风筝制作、京剧、相声、豫剧、泰山皮影戏和盐烘干技术。

姚说，这项工作中最具挑战性的部分是塑造角色。“我们使用了十多种针法来制作复杂的人物细节，以及房屋、桥梁、船只和树木。因此，大运河沿岸的民俗、标志性建筑和繁荣景象都可以在这件艺术品中找到。”

作为苏州人，姚与大运河有着深厚的渊源。姚说：“我很荣幸能够用苏绣来展示水路的魅力，保护文化遗产。”

Word Bank

intangible /ɪn'tændʒəbl/ adj. 无形的（指没有实体存在的资本性资产）

commission /kə'mɪʃn/ v. 正式委托（谱写或制作、创作、完成）

compromise /'kɒmprəmaɪz/ v. 妥协，折中，让步

captivating /'kæptɪveɪtɪŋ/ adj. 迷人的；有魅力的；有吸引力的