Feast of Flowers

Chapter 24: Circle of Friends

They were standing in the area of the exhibition dedicated to straw weaving art. Straw weaving has a long history, and with the development of time, the techniques have improved. With the advancement of production techniques, straw weaving has evolved from being purely functional to having artistic value.

In recent years, straw weaving products seem to have made a comeback in online sales channels. Although they may not be extremely popular, it at least gives people hope.

"This small figurine is well-made, and it's actually made of straw weaving?" Chen Jiang carefully observed the straw weaving figurine displayed in the showcase. The traces of straw weaving were hardly visible on the face of the figurine. He leaned closer to take a careful look and discovered that the face and the dress of the figurine were intricately woven with extremely fine straw threads, giving it a lifelike appearance with a flowing and dynamic dress.

"It seems... somewhat interesting," Chen Jiang commented dryly. "Quite nice."

"In ancient times, craftsmen used to weave incense balls with golden threads, without a single flaw visible. What is this level of craftsmanship now?" A woman in her forties or fifties wearing glasses walked over. She was dressed in a navy blue cotton skirt, elegant and approachable.

Upon seeing that the woman resembled the person in the photos of the artisans, Flower Jin asked uncertainly, "Are you... Teacher Sun?"

"What Teacher Sun? I'm just a handicraft enthusiast. You can call me Auntie Sun," the woman replied with a smile. "It's rare to see young people interested in these old crafts." Today's exhibition is not open to the public, so those who managed to get tickets are not ordinary people. However, having a ticket doesn't necessarily mean they are interested in this event. Some are here for work purposes, and some are here to expand their network. Those who truly enjoy traditional handicrafts and want to study them are probably only those few elderly experts.

Just as Hua Jin was about to speak, she heard the tour guide leading a group of about ten middle-aged men and women dressed in formal attire. The tour guide explained the origins and development process of each traditional art form, and the representatives nodded and smiled occasionally. Whether they were truly interested in these exhibits, perhaps only they themselves knew. Hua Jin scanned the group of visitors and noticed a familiar face among them—Pei Yan.

Compared to the others who nodded frequently, Pei Yan remained expressionless, not even glancing at the tour guide. However, his gaze towards each exhibit was the most serious, displaying the utmost respect for the artwork.

"Over here is the embroidery section. Ladies and gentlemen, please follow me. Watch your step, the floor might be slippery," the tour guide led the representatives to the embroidery area. "As we all know, embroidery is one of China's famous traditional handicrafts, with a history of two to three thousand years. The most well-known styles include Suzhou embroidery, Xiang embroidery, Cantonese embroidery, and Shu embroidery. The embroidered items displayed in our exhibition mainly feature Suzhou and Xiang embroidery..."

Pei Yan looked at the embroidered pieces in the exhibition area and suddenly thought of Hua Jin. He wondered if she had come today.

"Embroidery is a highly intricate craft that requires a significant amount of time and effort to produce a finished piece. As people's living demands have increased, machine embroidery has replaced manual embroidery to some extent. However, no matter how machine embroidery develops, it can never replace the liveliness and soul of hand embroidery. Please take a look at this folding screen, which utilizes double-sided embroidery technique. The intricacy achieved here is something that machines alone cannot replicate."

The embroidery exhibition area showcased a variety of items, from large folding screens to small embroidered handkerchiefs, all displaying the art of embroidery. Pei Yan carefully examined these contemporary masterpieces and had a vague sense that Hua Jin's embroidery work might not be inferior to theirs.