Felt flowers help smooth over cracks

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A flower and a mushroom made of felt are installed in a broken wall in Nanting village in Guangzhou (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Strolling around Nanting village in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, visitors can see bright flowers that seem to be blooming on street corners and walls.

A closer look will reveal these flowers are made of felt and have been planted on a small patch of artificial grass. Their chief gardener is Luo Shengtian, a student at the nearby Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts.

The yellows, reds, purples and pinks of his tulips, corn poppies, chrysanthemums and calla lilies are designed to smooth over broken corners and walls. “Some streets in the village are narrow, and I’m sometimes bruised by broken corners when I’m riding my bicycle. They can hurt children, too.”

Luo first began his repairs using felt coloured to resemble the building materials they were meant to patch. In addition to the challenge of getting the colour to blend properly, however, he soon grew bored.

An older schoolmate told him to think of something that would interest him more, and he immediately thought of flowers. Already working on a graduation project using felt, Luo was advised by his supervisor to focus first on community relationships.

Luo makes felt flowers at home using a needle, and stiffens them by inserting a wire into their stalks. On-site, he sticks clay to the broken area, puts the flower in the clay and then adds green felt to make grass and help secure the flower in place.

Luo Shengtian places a felt flower in the broken corner of a wall in the village (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

He installed his first flower at the base of a memorial archway on April 5. Four days later he saw that a section of the front wall of a dessert shop was broken, so he and a friend fixed it using another of his creations. He was a little concerned because the shop was private property, and he feared the owner might not like his intervention. In fact, the owner was pleased and surprised.

Luo has planted 18 flowers around the village. They can withstand a certain amount of sun and rain, he said, and he replaces any that go missing. He feels the flowers have helped bring life to old buildings and serve as warm touches for villagers, he said.

After a schoolmate posted a video of his little flowers online, they became a sensation and have been hailed as “soft patches for the city” and as “letters from spring”. Luo began to receive requests from volunteers and decided to expand his activities. He set up a WeChat group named “little flower chivalry”, which now has more than 200 members from other cities. Luo tells them about his flower-making techniques.

Lin Lizhang, 49, Luo’s former landlady, has made six flowers for the village. “I’m happy to be involved in making these repairs with young people,” said Lin, who used to work in garment manufacturing.

“It’s a creative and beautiful thing, and people young and old like it.”

Wang Qiyao, a schoolmate who works part-time at the dessert shop, has made flower and mushroom patches with her boss. “After the first flower, my boss said our shop was trending online. … The flowers make our shop more inviting and more personal.”

For those unable to find felt at the moment, Luo suggests using crochet needles and thread instead.

He plans to create a national map to show where other flowers have been installed before he graduates in June. The project has helped him learn more about himself, he says.

“I was rather indoorsy and a bit socially phobic. Now I go outdoors often and share things with others. I think I’m pretty good. I take a broader view of life.”

Previously published on Chinadaily.com.cn