STORY: Young inheritor in S. China hopes to carry forward drawnwork craft
DATELINE: June 9, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:08
LOCATION: GUANGZHOU, China
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Chaozhou drawnwork products
2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): ZHANG ZHEHAN, Inheritor of Chaozhou drawnwork

STORYLINE:

Chaozhou drawnwork, a technique integrating traditional Chaozhou embroidery and Western embroidery, has been listed as China's national intangible cultural heritage.

Zhang Zhehan, a post-90s inheritor, took up the career as an embroiderer specializing in Chaozhou drawnwork. He hopes to attract more young people to understand, learn, and carry forward the heritage through his exploration and efforts.

SOUNDBITE (Chinese): ZHANG ZHEHAN, Inheritor of Chaozhou drawnwork
"In the past, my grandmother and my mother were both in the embroidery business. I have always heard about the craft of drawnwork, and I was interested in it since I was a child. My mother said she hoped that I could come back and inherit this craft, because it was in danger of disappearing, and no more young people will join in.

We created some relatively small and lightweight products, without too much decoration. What we make is some exquisite everyday items, such as bags, earrings and more. We hope that young people can spend small amount of time in making them, see the outcomes of their work and make money soon, thus  first attracting a group of people to learn the technique of Chaozhou drawnwork.

In recent years, the government has also been vigorously promoting intangible cultural heritage in schools. We have great confidence in the future of this craft. However, it does require the joint efforts of all practitioners to promote and pass it down. It relies on the work of everyone to ensure its inheritance and development."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Guangzhou, China.
(XHTV)