Christchurch Seniors in South Island reunite to visit Exhibition After a decade

Since the beginning of May when Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery Christchurch has been exhibiting the Magnificence of Embroidery Exhibition by Artist Yao Hong Ying, many Christchurch residents have been spreading the news to their friends. Some people met up with friends and family to see the exhibition, while others came with their community groups to enjoy it. On 22 May, Christchurch elder Irene Coman and 16 other handicraft enthusiasts, including members of the Riccarton Library Knitting Association and St Peter's Christian Church Handicraft Group, came to see the embroidery exhibition at the art gallery. They were warmly greeted by the staff Juin Mei.

Juin Mei introduced the Suzhou embroidery and the characteristics of Yao Hong Ying's embroidery work to the elderly. The artist divides one thread into 64 fine threads, and with meticulous ingenuity and skill, uses different color gradations to create unique works. The themes include scenery, flora and fauna, humanities, religion and so on. The stitches used are a combination of random needle embroidery and fine flat embroidery, as well as double embroidery, using a variety of rich colors to bring out the movement and expression of people and animals. The visitors were amazed by the beauty of the embroideries, especially the delicate and vibrant colors of the "Fish with Wealth" and the "Five Dragons", which made the objects come to life. Some of the seniors had seen Yao Hong Ying’s “Embroidery Exhibition" 11 years ago and said it was such an unforgettable piece of work that they could not get enough of it.

Later on, the visitors also visited other parts of the temple. They were amazed by the incredible changes of light and shadow along the Time Corridor reflecting the wonders of change in nature. At the main shrine, they marveled at the solemn Buddha statues, flowers, lamps and incense. While there, the visitors were happy to transcribe some sutra scriptures too. Afterwards, the seniors enjoyed the Infatuation exhibition, admiring the beautiful artwork and creative ideas of the artist.

In return for their support to the embroidery exhibition, each elderly visitor was given an auspicious bag by the art gallery. It was a very rewarding day for the visitors and they thanked the staff for their warm welcome and hospitality during the art gallery tour, which made their morning a very pleasant one.