手芸でストレス解消　「タフティング」にはまる若者たち　中国

【北京ＡＦＰ＝時事】中国の若者の間で今、新たなストレス解消法として、糸で絵を描く「タフティング」がはやっている。（写真は中国・北京のタフティング工房で作品を作る若者たち）
　タフティングガンと呼ばれる手芸用の銃を使って、木枠に留めた布に糸を縫い込みながら、さまざまな形や模様を描いていく。
　北京のタフティング工房「ｉＨｏｍｅ」には毎週末、手芸好きの若者が集まり、一日中、丁寧に作業を進めている。漫画のキャラクターを描いたラグやカラフルなハンドバッグなどの作品を見せ合い、おしゃべりと笑いが絶えない。
　「タフティングは良いストレス解消になると思います」。大学生のノラ・ペンさんは、タフティングガンの音に声をかき消されそうになりながら言った。「毎日、教科書を読むことに追われて疲れているんです」
　国営企業で働いているという女性は、「忍耐力が必要ですが、コツさえつかめば難しくはありません」と語った。
　格差の拡大から生活費や不動産価格の高騰まで、中国の若者はプレッシャーの多い日々の生活の中で、リラックスできる方法を常に探している。
　タフティング人気に火が付いたのはここ３～５か月のことだが、ｉＨｏｍｅは首都圏ですでに９店舗をオープンしている。中国最大級の口コミサイト「大衆点評」によると現在、北京市内だけで１４０以上のタフティング工房がある。
　別のタフティング工房のオーナー、マオ・ウェイ氏によると、課題はリピーターの獲得だ。今のところ、多くは「好奇心から来た」一回限りの客だという。
　「市場が一定の規模に達したら、打ち止めだとは思っています」とウェイ氏。「でも、人気はまだ上り調子です」【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/05/09-09:38）

Using a craft gun to shoot yarn through a fabric screen, Nora Peng puts the finishing touches on a rug in the shape of a corgi's bottom -- the perfect stress-relieving hobby for her frantic days.
She is one of a growing number taking up the handicraft tufting as the country's younger generations look for options away from the daily rat race.
The handicraft creates versatile shapes and patterns by using a special gun to thread and cut yarn though fabric pinned to a wooden frame.
I think tufting is very stress-relieving, college student Peng said, her voice almost drowned out by the noise of the tufting gun.
I have to read textbooks everyday for school and it's exhausting.
Every weekend, Beijing's iHome tufting workshop attracts flocks of young handicraft lovers who spend the day carefully weaving yarn.
On a recent Saturday around twenty young people, mostly women, packed out the brightly-lit studio, each holding a tufting gun in their hands.
It requires a lot of patience, but as long as you get the hang of it, tufting is not difficult, first-time tufter and state company employee Yan Xinyue told AFP.
Chatter and laughter filled the room as they stopped to compare and admire each other's designs -- mostly cartoon character carpets or colourful patched handbags and mirrors.
Peng decided to have a go after seeing the craft trending on social media.
Everyone is making it, so I thought I'd come and try it as well.
Her cheeky corgi backside rug is a place for her pet cat to sleep, she said.
I think it's cute and funny, she laughed. (The design of) a corgi's little butt is very popular these days.
Tufting's popularity has been hugely boosted by online influencers.
Making this gave me a sense of satisfaction, said Shi Ba, an influencer reviewing workshops for her online followers.
- Stress relief -
Weighed down by worries over the high pressures of life, including growing inequality and the rising costs of living and property prices, China's young adults are looking for new ways to unwind.
Stressed young people under thirty are typical tufting lovers according to Xu Shen, the founder of iHome tufting workshop.
They want to forget about their tedious work and just focus on making craftwork, he told AFP.
Tufting has only became popular in China over the past three to five months, he added, but soaring demand for the craft has seen him already open nine stores across the capital.
Each receives hundreds of customers per week -- many drawn in through social media.
There are now more than 140 tufting workshops in Beijing alone, according to booking site Dianping.
But the challenge is getting repeat customers, Mao Wei, the owner of Horus Club tufting workshop told AFP.
Many are just one-time visitors who come out of curiosity, he said.
The hobby is riding a wave of popularity as it draws in young people hunting entertainment away from work, said Xu.
We know that (the development of) tufting will likely go through a bottleneck period, and the market will not grow anymore after it reaches a certain scale, he admitted.
But it's still on a rising trend.