Nantong-made handicrafts set to shine on diplomatic stage

Embroidery work Love of Butterfly by Zhou Lingling. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

The embroidery work Love of Butterfly by Zhou Lingling, a provincial-level craftswoman in Nantong, Jiangsu province, was recently included in the exhibition list of the Agricultural Foreign Affairs Gift Archives by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

This embroidery piece is set to highlight the rich charm of Chinese rural culture on the international diplomatic stage.

Embroidery work by Zhou Lingling and her mother, Zhang Meijuan, pays tribute to the painting Court Ladies Wearing Flowered Headdresses. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Zhou's mother is a representative practitioner of Nantong emulated embroidery, a national-level intangible cultural heritage item. Immersed in the art since childhood, Zhou drew inspiration from butterflies to create this piece in 2024. Using traditional flat needle techniques, she captures the graceful movement of two butterflies fluttering, bringing the scene to life with remarkable detail and vibrancy.

The Agricultural Foreign Affairs Gift Archives, as a national-level cultural exhibition platform, currently houses a variety of unique gifts from all over the country that possess distinctive traditional Chinese cultural characteristics and reflect the achievements of agricultural development in the country.