By using needles as the pens， threads as the pigments and silks as the papers， pieces of artistic embroidery come into being.

In the store called Qiaoyu Sichuan Embroidery sitting at the back street of Ciqikou ancient town， Yan Yongxia， a master of arts and crafts in Chongqing and the third-generation successor of Shaci random stitch embroidery， is running needles and threads. On the embroidery rack， chubby tigers are embroidered on silk cloths. Surrounding Yan Yongxia are large embroidery works such as Farmhouse Nestling in Golden Fields and Silvery Pear Blossoms， Green Landscape， Persimmon in the Snow， as well as creative cultural products like Bluetooth desk lamps， tissue boxes and lucky bags with the embroidery of camellias， stilted houses and kittens. The embroideries are so vivid that they bring surprises to all visitors.

“Different from Sichuan， Suzhou， Hunan or Guangdong embroidery， the random stitch embroidery does not belong to the four famous embroidery genres but establishes its own features instead. ”Yan Yongxia was telling reporters her experiences of embroidery while perform proficient needle work.

Life of Embroidery

Founded in the 1920s， random stitch embroidery was invented by Mr. Lv Fengzi， a famous educator and President of Danyang Zhengze Vocational School， and Yang Shouyu， a craftswoman of modern embroidery. During the War of Resistance Against Japan Aggression， Yang Shouyu moved to Chongqing where the vocational school was relocated. She taught random stitch embroidery which then prospered in Chongqing. The school was later renamed as Zhengze Shu School and upgraded to Zhengze College of Arts in 1941.

Yan Yongxia grew up in a family where her grandmother and her mother embroider household goods for daily use such as baby shoes with tiger patterns， and embroideries of Chinese characters symbolizing fortune， happiness， longevity， prosperity and abundance. The diversified embroideries present people’s aspiration for a better life. She fell in love with embroidery and apprenticed with masters nationwide and improved her embroidery skills and theoretical knowledge by learning Suzhou embroidery techniques and random stitch embroidery techniques.

Opportunities favor those who are well-prepared. With an unexpected chance， Yan Yongxia had the honor to be the last apprentice of Yang Shihua， a master of Chongqing Municipal Arts and Crafts， whose teacher was Yang Shouyu from Chongqing Zhengze College of Arts.

Embroidery Gifts

Doing embroidery works range from Chongqing People’s Auditorium to Liziba light Rail Crossing the Building， Yan Yongxia often ponders how to integrate the embroidery culture with the modern aesthetics. Yan said that “the value of embroideries is to pass down the embroidery culture， and I also wish to promote the culture of mountain city by using embroidery as a carrier.” That is why she came up with the idea of making camellia embroidery souvenirs.

Yan said that“as the city flower of Chongqing， camellia symbolizes passionate， courageous and kind-hearted Chongqing people. It also embodies the spirit of bravery， straightforwardness， and diligence of people in Chongqing.” Affections and thoughts are fully expressed through the embroideries. From drafting， drawing to embroidery， vivid and bright camellia flowers finally bloom at Yan’s fingertips.

Camellia embroidery was selected as Gifts for Foreign Affairs Events in Chongqing in 2021.

What makes Yan Yongxia even more proud of is that her embroidery work， a red camellia with a blue flax （National flower of Belarus ） was selected as the gift for the opening of Belarus Consulate-General in Chongqing， witnessing the friendly relations between Chongqing and Belarus developing into a new height.

Embroidery Innovation

During the interview， Yan Yongxia showed reporters silk embroidery threads of various colors and embroidery needles of different sizes. “Random needle embroidery is an innovative embroidery art that integrates theories of painting and embroidery. Random refers to an innovative， free-style but well-regulated embroidery technique instead of disorder. This technique brings out the vigor， vitality and vividness of embroidery.”

Similar to the texture of oil painting， random stitch embroidery boasts well-organized patterns and rich colors. This feature offered Yan new idea of creating embroideries of famous paintings. “I embroidered the Painting of Ba People Drawing Water by art master Xu Beihong. Additionally， the Towel Gourd by Dong Zexiong， a Chongqing local painter， has been embroidered and named as the Summer Charm series. The embroideries based on the Canola and Pear Flowers by oil painter Peng Xianghua were named as the Idyllic Dream series. It is challenging yet interesting to engage in embroidery with these famous paintings.” Yan Yongxia said that some embroideries took three years to complete， and some were even re-embroidered as they fail to reproduce the texture of the original painting. Finally， she presented traditional Chinese paintings， oil paintings and customized drawings through embroidery with overlapping and multi-layer threads in different directions.

Farmhouse Nestling in Golden Fields and Silvery Pear Blossoms was listed in the Special Recommended Exhibition of Century Old Traditional Crafts in Shanghai in 2021 and the third China Outstanding Crafts Exhibition held in China Arts and Crafts Museum in February 2022.

Recently， Yan Yongxia also figured out a new embroidery technique which she named “Maomao embroidery”， that is embroidering soft snow on red persimmons， making people cannot help touching it. Auspicious snow promises a good year， and a success of all endeavors. The Persimmon in the Snow combines traditional implications with modern perspectives， carries traditional skills of innovative embroidery， adding new elements and bringing surprise to life.

Inheritance of the Embroidery

Fast-running needles create inspiring scenery. In 2019， Shaci random Stitch embroidery was selected as a intangible cultural heritage of Chongqing.

“Yan， you must pass down the random Stitch embroidery.” This is what the teacher Yang Shihua told Yan Yongxia at her last moments. Bearing those words in mind， Yan believed that her first objective was to teach apprentices to pass down the random stitch embroidery.

Ciqikou Ancient Town was the first place where Yan starts her class to teach this art. Yan said that “my students are retired workers， white-collar workers， government officers and college students， tourists and international students from Japan， Turkey， Thailand and other countries.”

Additionally， Yan Yongxia also brought her class to schools and campus. Since 2014， Yan Yongxia has been a teacher in Binjiang primary school in Shapingba District， Wenfeng primary school in Bishan district and the Fashion Institute of Chongqing Normal University. Yan said that “let intangible cultural heritage techniques enter the campus， and my greatest hope is to attract more people to participate， understand， and fall in love with embroidery， especially random stitch embroidery.”

Moreover， her son Luo Zelin， who has been be influenced by Yan Yongxia since childhood， is studying visual communication in Suzhou Art and Design Technology Institute， and has put forward his own perspectives on random needle stitch embroidery. By combining the techniques of random needlework and his own understanding， he is creating a series of Chongqing Old City Gates in black， white and gray tones.

With great satisfaction， Yan Yongxia said that “as the spark of the collision of traditional skills and modern perspectives， random needle embroidery is bound to go farther with its unique charisma” .

一针一线，一刀一剪，以针作笔、以线作色、丝绸当纸，绣出针尖上的风景。

在磁器口后街“巧渝蜀绣”店内，重庆市工艺美术大师、沙磁乱针绣第三代传承人闫永霞正在绣架上飞针走线，半透的绢布上几只金色的小老虎乖萌可爱。店内摆有《金银满农家》《青绿山水》《雪柿》等大幅装饰观赏绣品，也有《山茶花》《吊脚楼》《小猫》等蓝牙台灯、纸巾盒、福袋这样小巧的文创产品，栩栩如生的绣图无不让人眼前一亮。

“这既不是蜀绣，也不是苏绣、湘绣、粤绣，而是独立于四大名绣之外的乱针绣。”闫永霞向记者讲述了她的刺绣人生。

“绣”人生

乱针绣创始于20世纪20年代，源于著名教育家、丹阳正则职校校长吕凤子先生和现代女刺绣工艺家杨守玉共同发明的绣种。抗战时期，杨守玉跟随执教的“正则职校”迁至重庆，乱针绣技艺便在巴渝地区生根发芽。该校后更名为“正则蜀校”，并于1941年升级为“正则艺专”。

闫永霞从小看着奶奶、母亲绣传统家居生活用品，福禄寿喜、花开富贵、年年有余和婴儿穿的老虎鞋，这些彩色绣品无不是对美好生活的憧憬。爱上刺绣的她四处拜师学艺，还通过钻研《苏绣技法》和《乱针绣技法》，提升刺绣技艺水平和理论知识。

机遇是给有准备的人。一次偶然的机会，闫永霞有幸成为重庆市市级工艺美术大师杨世华的关门弟子，而杨世华的老师便是重庆正则艺专的杨守玉先生。

“绣”礼品

双面绣《重庆市人民大礼堂》、乱针绣《李子坝列车穿楼》……闫永霞时常思考如何让刺绣文化与现代接轨，“绣品的价值是传承和弘扬刺绣文化，我也想通过这种方式承载和传播山城文化。”于是，闫永霞便产生了做山茶花系列绣品伴手礼的想法。

“山茶花是重庆的市花，寓意重庆人热情奔放而又侠骨柔肠，代表了重庆人勇敢、豪爽、拼搏的精神。”寄情于针线，以绣品表意。闫永霞从构思、画图到刺绣，一朵朵花形灵动、色泽明艳的山茶花在她的指尖不断绽放。

“山茶花刺绣”入选2021“重庆好礼·外事礼品”。

更让闫永霞自豪的是，2021年，她绣的一幅红色山茶花与蓝色亚麻花（白俄罗斯国花），被选为白俄罗斯驻重庆总领事馆开馆礼品，见证了重庆与白俄罗斯友好关系更上一层楼。

“绣”创新

交谈间，闫永霞向记者展示了不同色彩的蚕丝绣线，大小不一的绣针。“乱针绣是把画理与绣理相结合的一种创新刺绣艺术。其‘乱’，不是杂乱、混乱，而是有情理、有规则的融合，从而迸发出活力，彰显立体感。”

乱针绣绣品层次分明、色彩丰富，颇有油画质感。根据这个特性，闫永霞有了名画创绣的思路，“原尺寸绣过美术大师徐悲鸿的国画《巴人汲水图》，重庆本土工笔画家董泽雄的‘丝瓜’绣成《夏韵》系列、油画家彭享华的‘油菜花和梨花’绣成《田园入梦》系列……与这些名画‘联名’改绣很有意思，也极具挑战。”闫永霞说，有些绣了3年才完成，有些绣不出原画的质感，剪掉后重绣。最终，通过交叉重叠多层的大乱针、小乱针等技法，闫永霞将国画、油画，甚至个人定制图，都活灵活现地呈现在一张张绣面上。

最近，闫永霞还摸索出了一种新的绣法，她取名为“毛毛绣”—白色丝线绣出的绵软白雪压在一个个红红的柿子上，让人不忍触摸。“瑞雪兆丰年，万事皆如意”，一幅《雪柿》将传统寓意与现代视角、传承技艺与创新绣法完美结合，为生活增添新意，也带来了惊喜。

“绣”传承

绣针飞梭，风景常在。2019年，沙磁乱针绣列入重庆市级非物质文化遗产名录。

“小闫，你一定要将乱针绣发展传承下去！”这是老师杨世华去世前特地嘱咐闫永霞的话。她把这句话记在心头，首先想到的就是招收徒弟，培养乱针绣传承人。

閆永霞选定在磁器口古镇开课，教授前来拜师学艺的学员。“我的学员中既有退休职工、公司白领，也有公务员、大学生，还有日本、土耳其、泰国等国家的游客、留学生。”

此外，闫永霞还将课堂开进了校园。2014年至今，她先后在沙坪坝区滨江小学、璧山区文风小学、重庆师范大学服装学院授课。“让非遗技艺走进校园，我最大的希望就是让更多人接触、了解甚至喜欢上刺绣，喜欢上乱针绣。”

不仅如此，从小在闫永霞身边耳濡目染，现在苏州工艺美院视觉传达专业学习的儿子罗泽霖，已对母亲的乱针绣技艺提出了自己的见解。同时，他结合乱针绣技艺，正在创作黑白灰色调的“重庆老城门”系列。

“这就是传统技艺与现代思维碰撞出的火花，乱针绣会绣得更美，走得更远。”闫永霞很是欣慰。

“As the city flower of Chongqing， camellia symbolizes passionate， courageous and kind-hearted Chongqing people. It also embodies the spirit of bravery， straightforwardness， and diligence of people in Chongqing.”

“山茶花是重庆的市花，寓意重庆人热情奔放而又侠骨柔肠，代表了重庆人勇敢、豪爽、拼搏的精神。”

Farmhouse Nestling in Golden Fields and Silvery Pear Blossoms was listed in the Special Recommended Exhibition of Century Old Traditional Crafts in Shanghai in 2021 and the third China Outstanding Crafts Exhibition held in China Arts and Crafts Museum in February 2022.

《金银满农家》入选2021年上海百年传统工艺特别推荐展览，入选2022年2月在中国工艺美术馆举办的第三届中国好手艺展览。

Fast-running needles create inspiring scenery. In 2019， Shaci random Stitch embroidery was selected as a intangible cultural heritage of Chongqing.

绣针飞梭，风景常在。2019年，沙磁乱针绣列入重庆市级非物质文化遗产名录。 

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