Yao Huifen is busy with her latest embroidery work Listen to Guzheng, a 21-or 25-stringed plucked instrument. [Photo/Xinhua]
Yao Huifen, the most famous representative inheritor of Su embroidery, a national intangible cultural heritage, was born into an embroidery family and took a keen interest in the art form as a child.
Yao grew up in China's hometown of embroidery – Zhenhu town in Suzhou New District – and learned embroidery from two renowned artists: Mou Zhihong and Ren Huixian.
Yao likes to draw from traditional Chinese ink painting with disordered stitching, leading many people to mistake her embroidery works for paintings.
In her eyes, embroidery requires a lot of imagination. It's much more than simple repetition.
Yao created a brand new way to embroider. Unlike traditional disorderly needlework, Yao's simple needlework integrates traditional Chinese line drawing with western charcoal drawing, using minimum stitching, plain colors and fine lines.
Yao has promoted Su embroidery in the United States, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Russia over the past few years, and many of her works have been collected by art galleries at home and abroad.
Yao Huifen gives the final polish to her latest work Listen to Guzheng. [Photo/Xinhua]
Yao Huifen's teacher Ren Huixian (left), a renowned embroiderer, gives Yao guidance. [Photo/Xinhua]
Yao Huifen makes a double-faced embroidery. [Photo/Xinhua]
Yao Huifen guides her student at her studio in Zhenhu town of Suzhou New District. [Photo/Xinhua]
Yao Huifen guides her daughter. [Photo/Xinhua]
Yao Huifen is modifying her embroidery work. [Photo/Xinhua]
Yao Huifen introduces her work to visitors at her studio in Zhenhu town of Suzhou New District. [Photo/Xinhua]
