STORY: London Craft Week kicks off with Chinese craftsmanship under spotlight
SHOOTING TIME: May 13, 2024
DATELINE: May 14, 2024
LENGTH: 00:05:05
LOCATION: London
CATEGORY: CULTURE/ART

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the "Chinese Design: Harmony in Diversity" exhibition
2. various of Yang Shiying and her son Axin displaying the art of Miao embroidery
3. various of artworks of Miao embroidery
4. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): AXIN, Miao ethnic designer
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): LISE BERTELSEN, Executive director at the China-Britain Business Council

STORYLINE:

The 10th London Craft Week kicked off on Monday with hundreds of talents worldwide to celebrate craftsmanship through workshops, exhibitions, and talks across the British capital.
   
Among them, several events featuring Chinese arts and crafts highlighted the fusion of tradition and innovation.
   
At the "Chinese Design: Harmony in Diversity" exhibition, a colorful piece of Miao embroidery, depicting British landmarks like the London Eye, Big Ben, and Tower Bridge alongside traditional Miao ethnic elements, drew considerable attention.
   
The 40-centimeter-square embroidered patch took Yang Shiying about two months to handcraft.

Yang has dedicated five decades to mastering Miao embroidery, the traditional artistry of China's Miao ethnic minority in southwest China's Guizhou Province.

It's the first time that Yang and her son, Axin, have participated in the craft week. Their exhibits include suits, bags, and attire adorned with Miao embroidery, showcasing the art of stitching the intangible cultural heritage into modern fashion design.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): AXIN, Miao ethnic designer
"We hope that such integration of old and new can help more people realize that intangible cultural heritage can still exhibit new vitality through fresh and youthful design.
I hope that through the event, we could showcase the cultural beauty of China and its ethnic groups to global audience."
   
During the craft week, hundreds of exhibits and workshops will showcase various aspects of Chinese craftsmanship, including porcelain, silverware, lacquerware, bamboo weaving, clothing and jewelry from ethnic minority groups, as well as folk music Nanyin from southeastern China's Fujian Province.
   
SOUNDBITE 2 (English): LISE BERTELSEN, Executive director at the China-Britain Business Council
"I think it's important that artists throughout the world can actually learn from each other.
Crafts and creativity are very important to everyday life. So it actually promotes understanding on a very, very, almost basic level of everyday life."

London Craft Week, a citywide festival founded in 2015, runs from Monday to Sunday this year and is expected to attract about 750 makers, designers, brands, and galleries from around the world.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from London.
(XHTV)