I was the first volunteer docent at the National Palace Museum in Taipei.  I served at the museum for more than ten years, and enjoyed the great privilege of being in close proximity to China's most esteemed collection of cultural artifacts.  During my service, I was fortunate to gain valuable Chinese cultural knowledge.

Like many Taiwanese, I traveled frequently to China after the opening of mainland China in the late 1980s.  On my journeys, I met many hard working people with simple backgrounds and became familiar with the clothing these women made for their families.  Though these works aren’t as fine as the embroidered textiles of the courts, they are filled with the warmth and deep emotion of love.

Because my husband and I work in the children’s apparel industry, I very naturally developed a great interest in traditional Chinese children’s textiles.  In China, I often encountered, and was moved by, the clothes that women made by hand for their children, out of “love.”  For close to 30 years, I have taken every opportunity to travel to various parts of China in search of these emblems of love.

I display my collections in the hallways of the les enphants headquarters, and also share it regularly with textile experts and university students studying textile and fashion.  It is my hope that both our designers and students alike will be inspired by these works of love.

Professor Wang Ningyu from Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts once wrote a book on my husband’s brother-in-law, Dr. Sesin Jong’s collection of works by Wang Duo.  It was from this connection that I learned Professor Wang had a deep appreciation for, and knowledge of folk art and embroidery from the Shaanxi region.  It would have been a pity if this record of women’s handicraft wasn’t published.  Thus, Dr. Jong was instrumental in the publishing of this book, which Professor Wang titled Mother’s Flower.  Professor Wang explained, “Flower” is a folk song that expresses affection among the peoples of all ethnic groups in Northwestern China; it is a simple tune hummed by the farmers in northern Shaanxi while they are spinning and weaving.  “Flower” is also how female farmers refer to the art of embroidery.

The grounds of the Beitou Museum are unique, and it is also famous for its collection of Aboriginal relics in Taiwan.  I am honored to be invited to exhibit a part of my collection of children’s textiles. I received the blessing from Professor Wang to bestow the title, Mother’s Flower, to the exhibition.  On the one hand, the title of this show is a tribute to all the mothers who work tirelessly for their families. As well, the title is a hope that today’s children’s clothing designers can learn from tradition, imbue their creative work with maternal love, and bless all children who are the hope of our future.