Septuagenarian embroiderer showcases resplendent beauty of Miao embroidery to the world

Pan Yuzhen, a septuagenarian Miao embroidery artist from southwest China’s Guizhou Province, has continued to showcase the beauty of this distinctive art to the world over the years through a variety of different means.

Photo shows a resplendent Pan Yuzhen all decked out in a traditional costume and ornaments of the Miao ethnic group. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

Pan, now 76 years old, has walked the runway at many fashion shows both at home and abroad wearing embroidered costumes and silver ornaments of the Miao ethnic group in China, having first set foot on the stage in 2017. Dressed up in costumes with vibrant colors, fabulous designs and rich patterns, the spirited elderly lady tends to stand out among a bunch of young models.

“I’ve participated in fashion shows in many countries such as the US, Canada and the UK,” she introduced. Her most impressive runway experience was at St. James's Palace in London, the UK. The elderly lady appeared on the catwalk show wearing the clothes she made to a storm of applause. “I wasn’t nervous at all. At such an old age, I don’t fear anything,” she said. “With full confidence in the garments of the Miao ethnic group, I thought I was gorgeous in the beautiful clothes.”

She added that she usually would change into several different outfits at fashion shows, with traditional Miao clothing having up to 200 varieties. “Wedding dresses are always red, while the costumes for the elderly are always dark blue,” she said.

Photo shows Pan Yuzhen in a traditional embroidered costume of the Miao ethnic group. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

Besides, she has promoted the stunning craftwork of Miao embroidery at trade shows across the world. She has also participated in trade fairs in Singapore, the US, France and the UK. Wearing the clothes she made with her own hands, she always has the chance to further discuss in detail some of the unique stitches and patterns that reflect the stories of the Miao people when interacting with attendees at the trade fairs, and sometimes would even perform Miao folk songs.

The exquisite embroidered artworks, with their bright colors and vivid patterns, fascinate people from around the world. “They quite liked the products,” she said proudly. “About 400,000 yuan (about $63,000) of embroidered products were sold in one single day at a trade fair in Santa Fe, the US,” she recalled. Gaining inspiration and feedback from her trips abroad, the artist also rolled out new products such as embroidered scarves and cushions.

When Pan was 30, she encountered a Japanese woman in Beijing who wanted to buy the costume Pan was wearing at the time, but she refused to sell it. A few years later, after paying several visits to Pan’s home, the Japanese woman bought an outfit for over 1,000 yuan. “She was a scholar of costume culture, and wanted to do some research as she spotted some similarities in my mother’s clothes and Japanese clothes during the Tang Dynasty (618-907),” introduced Zhang Mudan, Pan’s third daughter.

Pan Yuzhen helps a foreign girl to try on a traditional ornament of the Miao ethnic group. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

Having learnt about the interest in her embroidery, relevant departments in her hometown of Taijiang county reached out to Pan in order to receive and meet with several scholars. Afterwards, she was visited by many scholars from China and abroad, helping them to set up interviews with local embroiderers from one household to another in order to learn about the histories and values behind this traditional handicraft.

During this process, Pan gained a deeper understanding of the craftsmanship of embroidery. Later she opened a workshop of her own and recruited many skilled embroiderers living in her village. Pan has already handed over the workshop to her second daughter, but still continues to work every day. “I wake up at 6 a.m., and work until midnight sometimes, even without having a siesta. I never feel exhausted when embroidering,” Pan said. Now her village often receives many designers who are eager to learn the craft, including those seeking to cooperate with local embroiderers.

“It’s handed down by the ancestors of the Miao ethnic group. And I must carry it forward. The more I embroider, the more I fall in love with it,” she always would say. 

Pan Yuzhen walks along the runway at a fashion show. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)