Shanghai Woolen Needlepoint (Rongxiu)

Shanghai rongxiu stitches pictures in coloured wool, one square at a time, on a special canvas mesh. Introduced from Europe in the early twentieth century, it took on a local character in Shanghai and entered the third national ICH list in 2011.

The craft relies on careful colour separation, blending and thread-splitting, building light and shade through fine stitched squares so faithfully that it can reproduce oil paintings and portraits—earning the name "oil painting of the East."

By merging Western painting technique with Chinese embroidery tradition, Shanghai rongxiu is a prime example of the East-West synthesis in the city's crafts.

Shanghai rongxiu is carried on in workshops in the Pudong and Yangpu areas, with exhibitions often held at the city's cultural venues.