Entering Ms. Yang's residence on Yungkang Street, visitors are immediately attracted by a plentiful collection of vari-sized Chinese and Western paintings and huge Chinese calligraphic scrolls, the works of well-known masters. But, a closer look reveals that all these treasures are embroidery imitations. The Lotus Flowers by the late Chang Dai-chien, The Falls by Huang Chun-bi, The Gleaners by Jean Francois Millet, and still lives by Paul Cezanne evoke the original works while adding Yang's own creativity and feeling.
The Gleaners is her embroidery copy of a famous oil.
Yang, newly married, told of her long journey to both artistry and marriage. Born to a poor family in Fengyuan, central Taiwan, she was adopted by a family from Houli, a township close to Taichung city, just 30 days after her birth. Growing up under adults' sympathetic eyes, but with children's jeers for her adoption, she dropped out of school at the age of 14, a failure in schoolwork. At that time, for a young country girl school dropout, the only future was in learning a special skill to allow her to fend for herself. She chose dress-making and machine embroidery, later opening a small shop specializing in the embroidery of ceremonial dress and of school numbers on uniforms.
When she was 17, her mother one day asked her to embroider the Pa Hsien (Eight Immortals) on a piece of red satin to hang on the main door lintel in celebration of an elder brother's wedding ceremony. Since Yang didn't have the slightest idea how to do these figures, she went to her embroidery teacher for help, but obtained no specific advice. Groping by herself, every morning she would go to a nearby temple dedicated to the God of Earth to study the postures and expressions of its concrete Pa Hsien, then return to copy her observations of the day on the red satin. She paid immense attention to this task, sometimes forgetting meals, even sleep. She dreamed about the costumes for these partly real, partly legendary figures from Chinese folk history. Her animated Pa Hsien embroidery was widely complimented by the wedding guests.
A woodland couple—In repose
This experience touched off a deeper interest in the possibilities of embroidery. After a very short period of further study, she finally concluded that the fundamental knowledge and skills for painting were indispensable to any expansion of her capabilities. She studied painting from such masters as Yu Chung-lin, Huang Chun-bi, and others, but though several of her teachers desired to cultivate her as a painter, she was deter mined to stick to perfection in embroidery as her career goal. An embroidery capable sewing machine, light-colored cloth, and skeins of colorful silk yarns are the requirements for her work.
Pointing out a "painting" of a classical Chinese beauty, she elaborated the procedure to achieve it. Generally, she says, all of her embroidery has been subjected to some part of four processes. She first draws a rough sketch on the cloth, then embroiders the outline. Then, colorful yarns matched to appropriate stitches are piled up layer by layer. Finally, polishing and embellishment help to reach desired ends.
"During the groping stages, because I was trying for more refined presentations of colors and stitches, even my dreams were filled with them. After endless trials and constant improvements, I achieved enchanting results," Yang states.
Each part of the embroidery process takes time-from several hours to several weeks. Interest, talent, patience, and concentration are crucial in meeting all the challenges of the craft, which fulfills the traditional Chinese philosophical requirements for calmness, tranquility, and the attainment of a desired end. Yang refers to her work as "plum blossom embroidery," which signifies perseverance and forbearance in the face of challenge-like the persistence of plum blossoms in the chilling cold. Yang teaches, also-some 18 students, mostly housewives who already have basic embroidery skills. Yang tells them, "If you want to learn from the standpoint of the ordinary attitude you apply to learning other manual skills, you will be climbing a tree to catch fish-nothing will result, except that disappointment will gradually convince you to give it all up."
What are the main differences between her imitations and the real works of art? Yang muses for a while, "It is like playing the same melody on different musical instruments. The tune is the same, but the timbre and techniques for each instrument make the whole composition fresh, showing penetrating new touches and insights with each playing. In embroidery as in other arts, the artist's personal vision can be fully displayed."
Yang favors particular subjects. Everything has its own uniqueness, she feels, and is worthy of reproduction. Accordingly, in addition to her imitations, she has also produced originals. Works such as Mother Liu's Flowers and New Park Drawings indicate her vision, while Portrait of A General and Mrs. Wu Sung-chin, lying lonely in one corner of her workshop, testify to a firm grasp of character.
Calligraphy couplets by Yu You-jen hang on the wall just opposite the entrance door, demanding the visitor's attention. Yang explains: "Some of my older friends generously lend me their precious genuine art works. I make a copy and later do an embroidery. In this way, I can correct oversights by the original writer, so my imitation is more perfect."
Yang Shiu-chih with her silken "pigments."
However, Yang's works are not for sale. An intricate 1.5 by 2 chih (Chinese feet) embroidery may have taken two months to finish. "It is definitely impossible to make money for such hours, not to mention depending on it for a living. Fortunately, I don't need to support my family; instead, my family gives me full support so I can concentrate on my embroidery." A pious Christian, she chooses to express her gratitude to God for her talent by donating her works to charity affairs.
In 1977, the National Museum of History exhibited her works, which were later shipped to Korea, Japan, and the United States for display. In the summer of 1980, she participated in a Christian Artistry Visiting Group, exhibiting her works in a number of American and European countries. Viewers marvelled at the delicacy and detail of the embroidery.
"Many unexpected things happened on that trip," she recalls. For one thing, they succeeded in entering Canada from the United States without applying for visa permission in advance. The immigration officer voluntarily provided a guarantee. Then, on several public occasions, she was compelled to play the cheng, a Chinese musical instrument, though she was still a green hand with it at that time.
From her small countryside embroidery shop, Yang has cultivated a garden of embroidery reaching across the seas. She does not expect ever to cease such efforts.