Ren Benrong works on embroidery designs in his studio. Photos Provided to China Daily

At the peak of its popularity, the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression broke out in 1937 and lasted till 1945, and American bombers razed the whole street, which was near a Japanese arsenal in occupied Hankou.

"The business was destroyed overnight. Most shop owners and workers fled to the countryside," Ren remembers.

But genes would tell, and Ren could not abandon the family heritage.

Ren had been primed in all the knowledge of embroidery design since he was a child. At 12, he was apprenticed for three years, followed by one year as an assistant designer and another five years learning from an embroidery master.

"Embroidery requires great patience. It takes two months to finish a piece, and it involves complex processes of designing, the matching of colors, and the execution of millions of stitches. An exquisite work may take more than half a year to complete."

For years, Ren worked 18 hours a day to perfect his craft, hands and ears often frozen in the harsh winter. In 1957, he left Hankou for Beijing to study at the new Central Academy of Craft Art.

In his two years in Beijing, Ren soaked up knowledge of traditional Chinese folk customs and deepened his understanding of culture theories. He also did research on imperial costumes in the Forbidden City.

When he returned to Wuhan, he started work with a company that produced theatrical costumes and one of the works he helped produce - eight embroidery pieces of places of interests in Hubei - were selected for display at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

But in the 10-year chaos of the "cultural revolution", his company closed down, and Ren became a boiler worker, shoveling coals into furnaces.

Tapestries of history

Her mighty needle sets her apart