A skill that's knot ignored

After Xu Xiaoxue gave birth to her daughter in 2005, she soon got bored of taking care of the child all day, and wanted some distraction.

Her husband's family is in the business of making Chinese knots, a decorative craft that dates to ancient times when people tied knots to record events. Xu started to learn the craft from her mother-in-law but didn't expect the pastime to change her life.

Xu became a city-level inheritor of this provincial-level intangible cultural heritage in 2009, and has been devoted to developing the craft since then.

At first Xu made Chinese knots just for fun. As a fan of photography, she often took photos of dragonflies, butterflies and flowers around a lake not far from her home in Northeast China's Jilin province, then she made knots resembling them, and posted the photos on a website. That attracted the attention of some people.

In 2012, a person in Beijing who had seen her work online sent her some jade and pearls, asking her to combine them with her knots and design jewelry and decorations.

Xu's creativity satisfied the customer, and he helped to advertise for her.

Xu, now 39, then started to make decorations with knots.

Traditional ones that Xu's elders made were lengthy red knots with auspicious meaning in Buddhism, often made with a thick thread.

But Xu, as an advertising design major, makes innovated knots based on her knowledge of design, and can use various threads to make small, exquisite designs.

She has created many series of works based on traditional Chinese culture such as festivals, tea and Peking Opera characters.

A highlight is a ginseng decoration inspired by Changbai Mountain in Jilin.

"Under the knotted ginseng is a circle to symbolize Tianchi Lake on the mountain. Two small bottles are tied to the circle, with water from the lake and a volcanic ore from Changbai, respectively," says Xu.

"Ginseng is a well-known local produce of the mountain, so it is a typical element of our culture.

"Many people who come here like to buy it, and view it as a symbol of Jilin. In this way I want to promote the local culture," she adds.

"Showing Chinese culture through traditional Chinese crafts－that is the original aspiration for me as an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage," says Xu.

She has made more than 3,000 designs, and even opened two offline branch stores in Guangdong province.

Her products include decorations of different sizes that can be put on walls, car ornaments, cellphone chains and jewelry.

"I believe our intangible cultural heritage can be better developed and passed down when it meets people's needs in daily life," says Xu.

Chen Chen, an online follower based in the United Arab Emirates, has been introduced by her friends to Xu's work.

"I learn the craft to cultivate my temperament, and I also want to teach children to better understand Chinese culture," says Chen.

"Chinese culture is popular in the UAE, and I often make some knots with Chinese elements for local people as gifts."

Xu has also been generous in helping others. She taught the art to workers who lost their jobs, allowing them to master a skill from which they could earn an income. Students and people with disabilities were also beneficiaries. Indeed, more than 20 people with disabilities now actually work for her.

Despite the success of her career, Xu says working on the craft has benefited her more in a spiritual way.

"Tying knots requires concentration, and you must not be distracted during the process. It has trained me to be less impulsive and short-tempered, and has given me the ability to deal with matters in a calm, peaceful and rational way," says Xu.

"I believe the life of one person is short, and you have the right to decide how to spend it.

"I chose a craft that can support my life and entertain me, and now I live a peaceful life. That's really amazing," she adds.