Sitting down with Wang Yuping, an outspoken lady dressed stylishly, to discuss her embroidery works and dreams, was an interesting encounter to say the least.

“Do I look like a woman in my 60s? A hand-made garment like this really makes me feel young and energetic. And this is my Chinese dream that I want to share with all the others,” Wang Yuping declares.

“Embroidery is not only art but also culture.” Wang Yuping grew up surrounded by the exquisite, colorful needlework of her skilled grandma, who learned the trade from some of the master embroiders in her hometown in southeastern Zhejiang Province. Wang’s favorite pastime when she was a little girl was snuggling up next to her grandma and watching her tread the needle on a piece of cloth and churn out the most beautiful patterns the little girl could ever wish to see, like there was some kind of magic behind the stitches.

Tradition is fashion. “When I was a little girl I watched village operas a lot. I was fascinated by the dazzling colors of the costumes on the village stage, and dreamt of being on the stage in costume and make-up someday,” Wang recalled. In the eye of the girl, the beautiful handmade clothes were the synonym of happiness and solace, and took her breath away.

In her adulthood years, Wang realized her childhood dream had to play second fiddle to the serious business of raising children and putting bread on the table. She spent many years working with her husband to focus on their entrepreneurial routines, but had never put her embroidery dream behind her mind, contenting herself by collecting embroidery works for enjoyment and inspiration. The new start came when she was traveling in Hainan and walked into a clothes shop.

“It was eye-opening, just like all the thoughts over the years were put together to make me realize what I really wanted to do and what I could do to make my dreams come true. I spent quite a lot in that shop and brought home as many pieces as I could.”

For Wang Yuping, embroidery is not about making money or pursuing fame, but more about keeping this exquisite craft alive and finding people to pass the relay baton on to. “It takes patience and real passion,” Wang shares. Over the years, she has been trying her best to promote the craft by working with embroiders based in other cities, including Zhu Juncheng, an outstanding embroidery master based in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province.

Keen to put her own stamp on this fine Chinese tradition, Wang Yuping launched her own embroidery company in 2018. The Hangzhou-based company has a embroider team, a design team and a model team of 13 members.

The dreamer has visited all of China’s “embroidery cities” where she exchanged ideas with the local artists, learned more about the craft as well as its cultural prowess, and explored collaboration possibilities. Wang has taken in a few good apprentices over the years, some born in the 1990s. “What I want to achieve is to share the enormous beauty of Chinese embroidery not only with more people in China but with the whole world.”

Wang Yuping has brought her “Juexiu” brand and products to many cities in China, and has seen her models perform on the runways of many countries including the US, Australia, Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland and Sweden, where her embroidery works in various different styles of Chinese embroidery art have garnered a growing fandom.

“Chinese embroidery is all about beauty and class. It is much more than a craft in the museum. It is something that can be shared and appreciated by all people. Chinese embroidery is a symbol of oriental elegance and grace, and can work magic in women’s fashion. It makes life more beautiful, and can bring out the best of feminine charm.”

Wang Yuping’s ambition also includes an embroidery museum.