Influenced by her family, Xu started to learn the craft of making Chinese knots at home, but didn't expect the pastime to change her life at first. 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.
As a fan of photography, she often took photos of dragonflies, butterflies and flowers around a lake not far from her home, then she made knots resembling them, and posted the photos on a website. That attracted the attention of some people.
As an advertising design major, she 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.
"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. 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, an online follower, has been teaching how to make knots in the United Arab Emirates. "Influenced by Xu's work, I learn the craft to cultivate my temperament, and I also 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 this art to workers who lost their jobs in her hometown, 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 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."
