Peña and Rivera is a highly creative artistic masterpiece that fully reflects the unique expressive language of Suzhou embroidery. Through the flexible application of embroidery techniques, precise control over the refraction of lines and their thickness, and the nuanced blending of warm and cool tones, the work achieves a remarkable effect—resembling a photograph yet not a photograph, akin to an oil painting yet not an oil painting—an artistic result that only embroidery can accomplish. As stated in the inscription on the work’s collection certificate, “Love is unforgettable, and beauty is irresistible.” The piece brought profound impact and deep emotion to President Peña and his wife.

Dimensions: 50.5 × 60.5 cm
Type: Single-sided embroidery
Collected in 2014 by then President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto. Yao Jianping and Yao
Silk received a personally signed letter of appreciation from the President.

Collected in 2019 by Brigitte Macron, wife of the President of France.
Dimensions: 450 × 300 × 100 mm (gift box)

The Suzhou embroidery work Kingfishers Amid Abundant Fruits employs the expressive technique of alternating solid and void random stitching to create a beautiful scene of fruit-laden branches, where two kingfishers clad in resplendent plumage perch high among the boughs. Through the language of needle and thread, the work highlights a style that is both concise and vivid, yet rich in poetic atmosphere.
The ingenious variation of stitching techniques depicts one bird poised on a high branch with wings outstretched, ready to take flight, while the other stands quietly among the abundant fruits. The composition balances motion and stillness, rendering the scene graceful, lively, and strikingly lifelike. Overall, the work is fresh and elegant, filled with charm and vitality, and carries with it heartfelt auspicious blessings.

Dimensions: 40 × 30 cm
Type: Double-sided embroidery
Collected in 2014 by Irina Bokova, former Director-General of UNESCO

The Suzhou embroidery work Abundant Harvest is a classic creation by the renowned Suzhou embroidery artist Yao Jianping. It is executed using double-sided embroidery, one of the most technically demanding techniques in embroidery art and among those that achieve the most refined artistic effects. The work takes grapes as its central motif—an image that, in traditional Chinese culture, symbolizes abundant harvests, prosperity, and fulfillment, making it a subject rich in cultural character and auspicious meaning. The outer frame adopts a table screen form distinctive to Chinese tradition, elegant and well-proportioned in appearance.
In the process of embroidery, Yao Jianping employs the most accomplished and sophisticated techniques of the Yao School. With slender silver needles and multicolored silk threads, every detail is rendered with meticulous care. The work also fully considers the unique texture and subtle luster of silk threads, achieving a vivid and three-dimensional relationship between detail and overall composition—expressive, resonant, and rich in nuance. Bearing the essence of Chinese craftsmanship and cultural blessings, the piece stands as a distinguished work of Eastern art.

Dimensions: 50 × 30 cm
Type: Double-sided embroidery
Collected by the Trump family in the United States in 2017

Collected in 2017 by Ms. Doris Leuthard, President of the Swiss Confederation.