When it comes to cultural ambassadors, China is blessed with many things that carry its flag around the world. Its food, music, dance, calligraphy and of course pandas are all instantly recognizable worldwide. Yet, another cultural tradition with an equally deep-rooted lineage, though a lower global profile, is the art of embroidery.

Its history dates back centuries, and it is widely admired and appreciated in artistic circles, earning recognition as part of China's National Intangible Cultural Heritage. A new exhibition in London held from March 5 to Monday aimed to bring it to a broader audience.

Staged at the Royal Geographical Society in Kensington, the exhibition was presented by Guangxi Normal University Press Group and its publishing partner ACC Art Books. Titled Suzhou Embroidery: The Awakening of a 1,000-Year Tradition, it featured renowned embroidery masters — sisters Yao Huifen and Yao Huiqin — collaborating with contemporary artist Wu Jian'an. Together, they explored both the refined techniques of Suzhou embroidery and their modern reinterpretation.

Organizers described the collection as "reconsidering the position of embroidery in a contemporary context … moving beyond the long-standing perception of embroidery as merely a 'skill' or an 'appendage of images'."

The exhibition featured 58 works from a decade of collaborative work, divided into three themed sections. The first was a "gene bank" of traditional techniques, displayed through detailed samplers. The second presented seven intricate contemporary pieces based on the fan painting Skeleton Puppet Play by Li Song of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). The final section showcased two new abstract pieces, each rendered in a single color, using layered silk thread like brushstrokes.

Yao Huifen was born into a family of embroiderers and has devoted decades to the craft, with her works exhibited at venues such as the British Museum and Venice Biennale. She said she was delighted to have another opportunity to introduce the art form to a wider audience.

"I grew up in a family of embroiderers, learning from our mothers and masters. We inherited traditional techniques, but the work in this exhibition introduces significant innovation built upon that foundation," she told China Daily. "We have broken some of the traditional rules of creation. Today, we create embroidery as independent works of art.

"I have continually shared our embroidery and craftsmanship with overseas audiences and around the world," she went on. The exhibition pieces, she added, "represent the full lineage of Suzhou embroidery, from traditional to contemporary cross-disciplinary creations", noting that workshops will accompany the show, allowing visitors to experience the craft firsthand.

Wu said working in a new artistic medium has reshaped his creative rhythm. "My usual work like drawing, painting, sculpture, and collage has speed, which moves faster than breathing. But with embroidery, you work more slowly than you breathe," he explained.

"When you watch embroidery, it is like the beating of the heart. For me, it's a very different experience, it's like meditation, your breathing slows, and your movements follow."

He said that although embroidery might not yet match the global recognition of other Chinese art forms, he hoped the exhibition would put that right, and open a door of understanding to gallery visitors.

"This is a great opportunity for us to show this part of China to London," he said. "I think it's not (art) for the mind, it's about feeling — through this beautiful work, you can feel people from the other side of the globe, and sense how they use their hands to create something very beautiful."

Yu Junyao, who assisted the artists and helped stage the exhibition, is part of a younger generation of art lovers helping keep the ancient tradition alive in the 21st century.

Having studied art history in the United States, focusing on contemporary art, she said it was only once she returned home that she began to appreciate the beauty and importance of the Suzhou needlecraft tradition.

"It's important for the younger generation to protect these old handicrafts", she said. "When I was young, I did a bit of embroidery, but I was not really that interested. Later, when I went back to China, I saw fewer young people practicing it. So it's very important to protect this cultural heritage and propagate it to different countries, not just as China's treasure, but as a shared human legacy."