Men excel in fine embroidery: C. China

Changsha (CNS) -- The Hunan Arts and Crafts Vocational College displayed the beautiful craftwork of their first batch of male students in Hunan-style embroidery, CNS reported in Changsha on Sunday.

The delicacy of the handcrafted embroidery cannot be paralleled by more efficient machine execution. To preserve and pass on this intangible cultural heritage, the college launched China's first program major Hunan-style embroidery in 2006, and started enrolling male students with basic fine art knowledge in 2010.

Through two years of study and practice with Master Liu Aiyun, 11 novices gradually grasped the whole set of skills needed to make a decent quality piece of work.

Men's works, usually themed on oil paintings, tend to look wilder than women's, student Jiang Tong told CNS.

All of the young apprentices were born during the 1990s. One of them, Ma Yinshen comes from a family of embroiderers. His mother, grandmother, and two aunts have immersed him in everything about the traditional handcraft.

Master Liu said she was delighted to pass on all she knows about this artistry to the young students, just as her teacher passed it all on to her with patience and care.