--- description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. title: Reshaped heritage gives buyers a sense of history image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt833ef241f3d5333a/6a4b523f8df1a663d26e1582/08B8706FDB4043B08D8C00418135A050.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- # Reshaped heritage gives buyers a sense of history  _This content was paid for and prepared by China Daily, an official publication of the People's Republic of China. The TIME editorial and advertising departments were not involved in the creation of this content._ Li Yifan makes handcrafted flowers with rice paper plant. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY By YANG FEIYUE The morning sun shines through carved wooden screens, falling on the petals of a handcrafted peony taking shape under Li Yifan’s deft fingers. The flower is made from a stem of the medicinal plant tongcao (rice paper) by the same delicate art that once adorned Qin Dynasty (221-206 B.C.) court ladies, Li, a Beijinger in her 40s, said. The tradition continued for more than two millennia to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). “I fix it onto modern hair accessories,” Li said, as she coaxed delicate white fibers into fragile petals through meticulous pasting, folding and pressing in the softly lit Yuxun Jingxi, a newly opened shop in the heart of the bustling Wangfujing area of Beijing, in late March. Li, a fourth-generation inheritor of this craft, said she is proud to revive the ancient art that few people recognize today. Her handiwork has enabled the ancient art form to attract interest among an increasing number of contemporary aficionados of fine things, especially young people. “Before paper existed our ancestors sliced this stem into sheets thinner than silk,” she said as she held up the sliced snow-white pith of the plant. What makes the material extraordinary is its chameleon-like quality — translucent enough to mimic cherry blossoms when thinly worked, yet capable of layering into the plump curves of magnolias, she said. “They mimic real flowers: natural, biodegradable and surprisingly durable. In the production there is no waste because the entire plant is used. We grind the scraps to make pigment with pollen.” The manual technique has remained unchanged down the ages, she said. Every step requires perfect balance. “Hand pressure must be perfect. Too firm and the material breaks; too gentle and you can’t form the curves. “Interestingly, slightly sweaty hands help. Normally, we have just 20 seconds to shape a petal before drying or it won’t hold its shape. But with natural hand moisture we gain 40 precious seconds for detailing.” With the opening of Yuxun Jingxi, more products from her delicate touch — ranging from floral rings, brooches and table ornaments blending tongcao with modern elements — are now gaining a lot of admiration. Wang Jingjing, one of the initiators of Yuxun, a brand established in 2023, said Yuxun Jingxi is the first physical manifestation of the cultural brand and offers a multidimensional space that is “explorable and interactive”. In the store a variety of heritage techniques and products is exhibited, with new additions constantly rotating, she said. “On any given day visitors can witness live demonstrations from artisans, including practitioners of national, municipal and regional-level intangible cultural heritage, ranging from traditional craft displays to large-scale installations.” Next to Li’s demonstration table, Weng Xiang, who works in a Beijing embroidery workshop, has bridged the ancient Jingxiu and modern fashion. Jingxiu, also known as a palace or Beijing embroidery, flourished during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties as an exclusive craft for the imperial court, adorning royal robes, ceremonial objects and palace decorations. “We carefully extract motifs from classical pieces of imperial embroidery, then reimagine them with modern aesthetics,” Weng said. “For example, our gold-embroidered earrings and brooches are made from repurposed fragments of heritage patterns.” In the shop she presents items such as a flying swallow pin, which was shaped first through traditional gold-wrapped thread embroidery — a luxurious Chinese needlework technique in which real gold foil or gilded threads are meticulously coiled around silk strands — and then stitched the motif onto calfskin backing to create dimension. “This transforms a museum-worthy technique into a lightweight, wearable pin. It’s wildly popular because it turns heritage into something tangible and personal.” She has worked with her team to research auspicious symbols and reinterpret them with contemporary relevance. “Every piece carries forward ancestral artisanship while meeting modern demands for versatility and style,” she said. 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