(ECNS) -- Three elderly people embroidered an emotional appeal each with their own white hair, calling for their children to come back home during the upcoming Spring Festival, the most important holiday for family reunion in China.

Chen, 76, Wang, 80, and Li, 72, are all residents of Suzhou, a city renowned for its embroidery in east China's Jiangsu Province.

Their children all work in other cities and have not returned home during the festival for several years.

The three collected their hair daily and stitched it into Chinese characters. One message says "Don't bring any gifts back home. You are the best one." Another says, "After each phone call, mom is unwilling to hang up first."

Reports say it took more than 40 days to finish the embroideries that are being exhibited in Suzhou.

Suzhou embroidery, with a history dating back 2,000 years, is famed for its beautiful patterns and consummate craftsmanship.

A similar show in Beijing displayed 2,061 glass bottles, each with a strand of white hair collected from 2,061 parents in 34 cities across China, to promote care for parents by young professionals working away from home.