How much do you know about Chinese embroidery?

 刺绣 Chinese embroidery

Embroidery，a folk art with a long tradition，occupies an important position in the history of Chinese arts and crafts. It is，in its long development，inseparable from silkworm-raising and silk-reeling and weaving.

刺绣，是一种具有悠久传统的民间艺术，在中国艺术和手工艺品史上占有重要地位。刺绣的长期发展离不开蚕的饲养和纺丝技术的发展。

 China is the first country in the world that discovered the use of silk. Silkworms were domesticated as early as 5000 years ago.

中国是世界上第一个发现和使用丝绸的国家。5000年前中国已经开始饲养蚕。丝线和丝制品的生产促进了刺绣艺术的诞生。

In 1958 a piece of silk was found in a tomb of the state of Chu of the Warring Sates Period (475-221 BC ).It is embroidered with a dragon-and-phoenix design. More than 2000 years old，it is the earliest piece of Chinese embroidery ever unearthed.

目前传世最早的刺绣，是湖南长沙楚墓中出土的两件战国时期的刺绣品，针法成熟，配色清雅，图案生动，显示出成熟的刺绣工艺。汉代时，刺绣艺术得到了普及，现在出土的许多刺绣口号都产自这个时期。

Zhanguo period (5th-3rd centuries BC)

Today，silk embroidery is practiced nearly all over China. The best commercial products，it is generally agreed，come from four provinces: Jiangsu(notably Suzhou)，Hunan，Sichuan and Guangdong，each with its distinctive features.  

时至今日，中国刺绣工艺不仅进入了寻常百姓之家，而且走上了世界舞台。最好的绣品认为来源于下面四省:江苏、湖南、四川、广东，各省绣品各具特色。

1

Major styles

苏绣

Su Xiu

Suzhou embroidery is crafted in areas around Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, has a history dating back 2,000 years. It is famous for its beautiful patterns, elegant colours, a variety of stitches, and consummate craftsmanship. Its stitching is meticulously skillful, coloration subtle and refined. Suzhou artists are able to use more than 40 needlework and a 1,000 different types of threads to make embroidery, typically with nature and environment themes such as flowers, birds, animals and even gardens on a piece of cloth.

湘绣

Xiang Xiu

Hunan embroidery comes from areas around Changsha, Hunan Province. It is distinct for its starkly elegant black, white and gray coloration. Its emphasis is on contrasts of light and shade that highlight the pattern texture to give a three-dimensional effect. Xiang embroidery composition combines void and solid imagery, utilizing empty space in the same way as Chinese ink and wash paintings.

粤绣/广秀

Yue Xiu/Guang Xiu

Guangdong embroidery is crafted in Chaozhou, Guangdong Province. It is composed of intricate but symmetrical patterns, vibrant colors, varied stitches and a refined weave. Its use of primary colors, light, and shade are reminiscent of western paintings.

蜀绣

Shu Xiu

Sichuan embroidery comes from areas around Chengdu, Sichuan Province. It is the oldest known embroidery style in Chinese embroidery history. Its raw materials are satin and colored silk, its craftsmanship painstaking and refined. The emphasis is on even stitching, delicate coloration, and local flavor. Sichuan embroidery is used to decorate quilt covers, pillowcases, garments, shoes, and painted screens.

2

Other styles

顾绣

Gu Xiu

Gu embroidery is rather a family style than a local style originated from Gu Mingshi's family during the Ming Dynasty in Shanghai. Gu embroidery is different from other styles as it specialized in painting and calligraphy. Some of her masterpieces are kept in the Forbidden City.

3

Ethnic styles

哈萨克族、彝族民族刺绣

Other Chinese ethnic groups, like Bai, Miao, Zhuang, and Tibetan people also have their own style of embroidery, which usually depicts a mythical or religious topic.

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Contents are provided by Hanlin Language center

Supervisor: Crystal Huang

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