摘要："When I saw French audiences stopping in front of my works, I realized that needle and thread can truly transcend language," said

"When I saw French audiences stopping in front of my works, I realized that needle and thread can truly transcend language," said Liu Ya emotionally at the Revelations 2025, an international biennial of artistic crafts and creations in France, which concluded on May 25. Liu Ya is a craft and art master of Hunan Province and a young inheritor of the Xiang embroidery traditions, an intangible cultural heritage item.

On the afternoon of May 21, the biennial opened at the Grand Palais in Paris. Liu Ya brought to the event 20 innovative Xiang embroidery pieces that transcend traditional styles, integrating contemporary aesthetic features. She conducted two guided tours daily, demonstrated Xiang embroidery techniques on site, and invited visitors to experience the embroidery process firsthand, allowing them to appreciate the allure of oriental art.

The exhibition "Liu Ya: Embroiderer of Time – Xiang Embroidery Art Exhibition in Paris" debuts at the Revelations 2025. (Photo/the correspondent)

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron visited Liu Ya's exhibition area. Brigitte Macron carefully observed each embroidered piece, showing great interest in the exquisite craftsmanship of Xiang embroidery and the oriental aesthetics embodied in Liu Ya's works. She collected a court fan that blends traditional skills with modern aesthetics on site, noting that this piece was "full of spirit and extremely oriental in style." Brigitte Macron also took a group photo with Liu Ya, capturing a touching moment of cultural exchanges between China and France.

Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, appears at the exhibition site of Liu Ya's embroidery works. (Photo/the correspondent)

The exhibition site of Liu Ya's works became one of the most popular areas at this biennial. Many French visitors saw Chinese embroidery art for the first time and stopped to admire the intricate craftsmanship and vivid expressiveness of Xiang embroidery.

People from various countries visit the exhibition. (Photo/the correspondent)

The exhibition "Liu Ya: Embroiderer of Time – Xiang Embroidery Art Exhibition in Paris" was organized by the Changsha Municipal Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy and the Changsha Municipal Bureau of Culture, Tourism, Radio, and Television. This marked the first personal exhibition at an international top-tier craft art exhibition, signifying an important historical moment for the debut of Xiang embroidery at the Revelations biennial and demonstrating a confident and fresh step for China's intangible cultural heritage on the international stage.

Liu Ya was born into a family of Xiang embroidery artists. Her mother, Liu Jianxin, is a national-level representative inheritor of Xiang embroidery traditions. In 2015, Liu Ya and her mother founded the Changsha Liu Jianxin Embroidery Art Museum by the Guitang River in Yuhua District. The museum is the first Xiang embroidery museum named after an individual person in Hunan Province. The museum integrates the display, creation, protection, and research of precious Xiang embroidery works. The museum also offers public classes and holds over 80 experience activities annually, earning recognition as an outstanding private cultural unit in Yuhua District.

This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.

来源：湖南日报一点号1