Visitors watch a hair embroidery artwork at a hair embroidery exhibition hall of a scenic spot in Dongtai City, Yancheng of east China's Jiangsu Province, June 6, 2025. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui)

Dongtai Hair Embroidery, originating from the folk custom of using human hairs as thread to embroider Buddha in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) of China, has a history of over 1,300 years. The craft, which once was on the wane over the past years, was revived by Suzhou embroidery institute in the 1950s and reborn and developed in Dongtai City afterwards. In 2021, Dongtai Hair Embroidery was listed as one of the national intangible cultural heritages.

Chen Boyu, an inheritor of the art, has been designing hair embroidery for over 40 years. On the basis of traditional patterns, he has also created patterns which reflect local culture and folk customs, and won various national and provincial prizes.

Thanks to artists over the decades, the hair embroidery has embraced numerous innovations, such as using dyed hairs instead of black hairs and adopting different stitch techniques.

An artist shows embroidery skills at a hair embroidery exhibition hall of a scenic spot in Dongtai City, Yancheng of east China's Jiangsu Province, June 6, 2025. (Xinhua/Peng Yikai)

Chen Boyu draws patterns at the Jiali hair embroidery factory in Dongtai City, Yancheng of east China's Jiangsu Province, June 6, 2025. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)