Nimble fingers keep an old art alive
January 28, 2012, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A needlework salon was recently set up in Xinzhuang to try to encourage time-honored craft and prevent their disappearance as cultural heritage.
Xinzhuang Town was once a flourishing center for the art of crochet, and some of that skill has been passed down through generations.
Most of the members of the salon are area seniors known for their extraordinary craftsmanship. Many of them earned their living by needlework before retiring.
The salon is located at the Xinzhuang Culture Center. More than 100 crocheted pieces contributed by salon members will be displayed at the Skymall on Dushi Road during the Lantern Festival in early February.
The pieces show incredible nimbleness of fingers. Many of them revive old patterns and techniques.
Xinzhuang crochet includes more than 30 variations of needlework. The patterns, mostly featuring flowers, are delicate and beautiful.
Six members of the salon will conduct classes for people wishing to learn needlecraft. The instruction will start in Xinzhuang's residential complexes and schools, and then expand to the whole of the Minhang District.
Huangpu District in downtown Shanghai has made overtures to get some of the classes taught there, too.
Crochet dates back to the Ming and Qing dynasties, which stretched from 1368 to 1911.
History books tell us that the women of Xinzhuang were masters at making fishing nets and at using hairpins bent into needles to create hats and bags that were used both in the home and sold in local markets.
In 1886, French missionaries at the Xujiahui Cathedral introduced European knitting techniques to the local population. A workshop producing crochet goods was set up near the cathedral. The business was later expanded to Xinzhuang, which is about 20 kilometers away.
Women in Xinzhuang then blended East and West in needlework techniques, making exquisite and elegant knitted goods that included garments, accessories, pillow slips, tablecloths and curtains.
Girls as young as 10 made a living by knitting and crocheting. By the 1970s, there were as many as 130,000 people in the area working in the cottage industry.
Machines eventually took over the trade and handwork ebbed. Local people could no longer rely on needlework to make money.
Anyone wanting to join the salon or inquire about lessons may call 6498-3288.
Xinzhuang Town was once a flourishing center for the art of crochet, and some of that skill has been passed down through generations.
Most of the members of the salon are area seniors known for their extraordinary craftsmanship. Many of them earned their living by needlework before retiring.
The salon is located at the Xinzhuang Culture Center. More than 100 crocheted pieces contributed by salon members will be displayed at the Skymall on Dushi Road during the Lantern Festival in early February.
The pieces show incredible nimbleness of fingers. Many of them revive old patterns and techniques.
Xinzhuang crochet includes more than 30 variations of needlework. The patterns, mostly featuring flowers, are delicate and beautiful.
Six members of the salon will conduct classes for people wishing to learn needlecraft. The instruction will start in Xinzhuang's residential complexes and schools, and then expand to the whole of the Minhang District.
Huangpu District in downtown Shanghai has made overtures to get some of the classes taught there, too.
Crochet dates back to the Ming and Qing dynasties, which stretched from 1368 to 1911.
History books tell us that the women of Xinzhuang were masters at making fishing nets and at using hairpins bent into needles to create hats and bags that were used both in the home and sold in local markets.
In 1886, French missionaries at the Xujiahui Cathedral introduced European knitting techniques to the local population. A workshop producing crochet goods was set up near the cathedral. The business was later expanded to Xinzhuang, which is about 20 kilometers away.
Women in Xinzhuang then blended East and West in needlework techniques, making exquisite and elegant knitted goods that included garments, accessories, pillow slips, tablecloths and curtains.
Girls as young as 10 made a living by knitting and crocheting. By the 1970s, there were as many as 130,000 people in the area working in the cottage industry.
Machines eventually took over the trade and handwork ebbed. Local people could no longer rely on needlework to make money.
Anyone wanting to join the salon or inquire about lessons may call 6498-3288.
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