Zi Shen (Purple Mulberries), a Taixiu work by Lin Xia.

Taizhou Embroidery, or simply Taixiu in Chinese, is a folk embroidery that has witnessed the early integration of Chinese and Western cultures. In 1906, when a group of French Catholic missionaries went to Haimen (present-day Taizhou), they passed on Western embroidery techniques, such as cutwork and drawnwork, to nuns and orphans in the local church. That's also why Taizhou Embroidery is also known as "Cutwork Embroidery" or "Haimen Embroidery". Overtime, these techniques were incorporated into traditional Chinese embroidery and a unique style of embroidery was born. 

At its peak, Taixiu and Taixiu-related products worth 800 million yuan were exported to over 60 countries and regions, and as many as 130,000 embroiderers were employed in the industry. For its unique style, Taixiu is known as the "oriental treasure" on the international stage.

Born in Taizhou, Lin Xia, a third-generation inheritor of the Taixiu craft and founder of TAISILK, started to learn painting at a very young age. When she was 16, Lin passed the examination and became a designer in the biggest embroidery garment factory in Taizhou. Since then, her Taixiu career has taken off.

Indeed, Lin is both an inheritor of traditional Taixiu and a pioneer of modern Taixiu. In over four decades, Lin has gone beyond traditions, injected new art designs and techniques, and created her distinctive style. Her works, including Web World and Birth, won more than 50 international and national awards, and many have been collected by international museums. Moreover, through creative designs, Lin has transformed elements of the Taixiu culture, craft and arts into a diverse selection of products, imbuing Taixiu with a contemporary expression and bringing it to modern life. 

Editor: Li Qiaoqiao