Cheung Bo Yin - Chinese Knot Artist
August 2016

Have you encountered any obstacles in your career throughout the years of making Chinese knots?

When I just started learning, there were not many people that made this kind of handicraft. People admired my work a lot and business was quite good. However, due to the opening of the mainland, many handmade-craft has flooded into Hong Kong. And people from the mainland do not really care for these crafts. As a result, my business suffered from a hard time.

I learned computer and Photoshop later on and realized that the techniques did help me a lot in my career such as making handouts to my students. I took pictures of every step and used Photoshop to remove the backgrounds of the real photos. The outline of my hands and the strings remained on the images. Each photo had to be edited in this way. Also, I use one black dot to represent one individual knot so that the students can get an idea about the whole structure of a certain knot. I will demonstrate how to tie knots in my lessons. After that, I tell them to follow the steps on the handouts on their own and digest what I teach. They will remember the steps more easily even after class.

It is not reasonable to ask students to find photos on the web and practise. There are too many photos to follow and the shadows on the photos will affect their reading. However, I only need one page of handout to show all the steps. It is more convenient. Today most tutors will only take photos to show the steps. I do not believe that anyone puts in as much effort as I do on making handouts!

On top of that, the computer and internet has helped to spread my name. I am certain that there are many other people who are more skilled than me but whom may not know how to use a computer. People can reach me easily with technology.

Although I was very downcast during the decline in business, it opened another path for my career, and being able to learn and use the computer to create new teaching materials has brought a great sense of satisfaction. And thus this way I have continued for more than thirty something years.

You did not have handouts at the time when you learned knots, right? How did you remember the steps of all kinds of knots?

Right. I understand the difficulties and that is why I prepare the handouts. In the past, I practised the knots right after I got home because I would forget all the steps. Once, I practised till 3 a.m. because it was very hard to tie the knot. I would not settle down or rest if I could not make that knot. If I waited to practice a few days later, I would forget everything. It is always sensible to practice after lessons. Even now, I also need to practice from time to time. I will still miss some steps. As long as I fully understand the structure, I can memorize all kinds of knots and move on to a more advanced level, creating my own work.