Sichuan in stitches

To prevent his hands from getting rough, Peng does no housework at home, his wife says affectionately. Visitors are impressed with his hands which look like those of a 20-year-old.

In the time of Peng's father, only men stitched the embroidery. "Now the number of male embroiderers is fewer than five in Chengdu. Almost all the embroiderers are women," Peng says.

Fewer people are willing to learn embroidery because of the repetitive work and meager income. Embroiderers tend to suffer from neck and back pain. They are required to shun spicy food and liquor, which are believed to hurt the kidneys. According to traditional Chinese medicine, a poor kidney diminishes one's eyesight.

More than 20 young women have learned embroidery from Peng in his studio in the past two years, but he worries about the future of the art, which is more than 2,000 years old. "Many older master embroiderers are preoccupied with doing business and selling works of embroidery. They have no time to stitch and only sign their names on embroidery works by their students," Peng says.

To his delight, his only daughter Peng Lin likes stitching in her spare time and has mastered all the techniques. The 26-year-old has graduated from Xihua University in Chengdu as an English major.

"I plan to work exclusively on embroidery," she says.

Provided to China Daily