Tai'an folk craftsmen keep traditional skills alive

Inheritors of traditional crafts in Xiangyin village – located in Ningyang county in Tai'an city, East China's Shandong province – are striving to promote traditional culture so it can be passed down to future generations.

Wearing tiger-head shoes and hats, and sleeping on a tiger-head pillow, were once considered important customs. "My mother embroidered quite well. When I was young, locals all wore tiger-head shoes made by my mother," said Yan Xiurong, an inheritor of this skill.

Yan Xiurong also passed on traditional embroidering skills to her daughter-in-law. Now that Yan has a grandson, every time she does some work, she calls him aside to cultivate his interest in this traditional craftsmanship from a young age.

Yan Xiurong's grandson accompanies with her to learn how to embroider tiger-head shoes.  [Photo by Cao Yang for chinadaily.com.cn]

Another craftsman Cao Qiliang can use sorghum stalks to weave pot covers. "When my family was poor in the past, I was proud to have a craft as I could help support my family. Although fewer and fewer people know how to do this, the craft passed on by my ancestors cannot disappear in our generation," he said.

Cao Qiliang and his woven works. [Photo by Dong Shihong for chinadaily.com.cn]

Hu Zhuohua is adept at embroidering exquisite insoles by hand, and locals said her works are durable and can effectively resist sweat while retaining a fresh odor.

She never accepts money from locals but she hopes more people will learn from her during their spare time, in a bid to pass down this traditional craft.

Looking ahead, Xiangyin village will continue to promote and inherit traditional handicraft skills, as well as supporting their innovative development. (Edited by Chen Chuxuan)