Chinese Embroidery

As China is the first country in the world that discovered the use of silk, the production of silk gave rise to the art of embroidery. More than 2000 years ago, Chinese already knew how to make the soft, smooth, light silk thread into a highly complex and exquisite picture by hand. In the Qin and Han dynasties (221BC-220AD), it had reached a fairly high level and become an important merchandise for expert. In the Qing dynasty, the embroidery from different areas already had their own characteristics and formed the four main groups: Su embroidery of Jiangsu province, Shu embroidery of Sichuan province, Xiang embroidery of Hunan province, and Yue embroidery of Guangdong province.

Chinese Embroidery represents the best Shu embroidery from China, whose producing areas fasten at Chongqing, Sichuan area, which is located in the southwest of China. Shu embroidery is particularly characterized by the closeness of its stitching, which can highlight tiny details in the subjects. A Shu embroidered piece contains hundreds of thousands of stitches just for a single figure or animal, and normally takes from weeks to months to complete. Embroidery artists pick out some bright-color silk threads, and  then they use even stitches to make a delicate picture on a piece of silk cloth or soft satin fabric. Most of the Shu embroidered pieces show the joys of people's life. One of the most popular images from Shu embroidery is the panda and fish but scenes of nature are also popular. Shu embroidery is used not only for home decoration but also for some household stuff such as silk covers, slippers, pillow cases, sleeping gowns, table cloth, purses, and dresses. As for home decoration, they range from wall hangings, room separation screens to curtains. The rich colors and lifelike images shown in Shu embroidery artworks hopefully can remind you of the joy in your real life。

Embroidery is a very long established art form in China. It was never classified as a solely female activity and men and women have both been involved in embroidery. The items embroidered are quite diverse and include robes, theatrical costumes, purses, shoes, spectacle cases, banners, alter cloths and many other pieces. Some of the pieces were so finely stitched that the pieces took 5-6 people several years to complete. Embroidery was also used as a means of decorating silk clothing and for silk flags and banners as a means of denoting rank or station. The finest pieces of work were very expensive. Gradually, embroidery developed, as a pastime for wealthy ladies and many members of the court were renowned for their intricate work.

According to the Chinese there are two main divisions of embroidery, “chih wen” and “tuan chen”. “Chih wen” uses the long and short stitch, while “tuan chen” involves the seed stitch used in Beijing which is also known as the French knot. The stitches most commonly used by the Chinese include 1) satin stitch – which is further classified into long and short 2) Beijing stitch or French knot 3) Stem stitch; 4) Couching; 5) Chain stitch; and 6) Split stitch. All of these stitches are known in the west. Many westerners find Chinese embroidery a little over done. The Chinese satin stitch when done to perfection is exquisite in its fine detail. The use of gold thread for the French knot, for which the Chinese have a special gift, is characteristic of their work. Sometimes even such light material as gauze and paper were embroidered to demonstrate the fineness of the work.

It is difficult to be precise as to when embroidery first was practiced in China but based on archeological excavations of tombs it at least dates back to the early Han dynasty which based itself near Lake Baikal in the early second century B.C.  Many Tang embroideries continue to be preserved both in China and in Japan.  One of the most famous representations of the embroiders’ artistry is the piece that came from the Thousand Buddhas at Tun Huang and that dates from the tenth Century.

There are also many fine pieces of embroidery from the Sung dynasty.  We know from historical records that the Sung Emperor Hui Tsung (1101-1126) established an embroidery bureau called the “Wen Hsiu Yuan”.  It also is well known that many of the finest pieces were copied in the Ming and Ching period and it is therefore difficult to definitely attribute many of these pieces.

Chinese Literature records the names of many famous embroidery artists.  Among these are Kuan Fu-jen, the wife of the painter Chao Meng-fu and the ladies of the Ku family in Shanghai such as Ku Shou-ch’ien who worked their artistry in Ming times.  The painters Tung ch’i-ch’ang and Wen Cheng-ming and more recently Sh’en Chou who died in 1910 are all considered great embroiders.

Embroidery is still practiced in many sections of China. Suzhou is well known for the quality of its work. Additionally other areas have a reputation for embroidery but few can match the precision, art and charm of the work produced in China prior to the Modern period.

Four Famous Chinese Embroidery Styles
Embroidery is a traditional Chinese craft which consists of pulling colored threads through a background material with embroidery needles to stitch colored patterns that have been previously designed on the ground. The adoption of different needling methods resulted in different embroidery styles and technique schools. Chinese embroidery had already reached a high level early in the Qin and Han dynasties, and silk and embroidery were the main products transported along the ancient Chinese Silk Road. The four famous Chinese embroidery styles are the Su embroidery of Jiangsu Province, the Xiang embroidery of Hunan Province, the Yue embroidery of Guangdong Province and the Shu embroidery of Sichuan Province.

Su embroidery has a history of over 2000 years. It was produced on a large scale during the Song Dynasty. In the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty, Shen Shou absorbed Japanese and Western fine art sand combined them with traditional Chinese embroidery skills to create the simulated embroidery with ray effects. In the 1930s, the irregular embroidery technique was created in the Zhengze Girl's Vocationa1 School in Danyang. In 1957, the Embroidery Research Institute was established in Suzhou. Su embroidery is known for its delicacy and elegance. The design is usually very simple, high lighting a main theme. Its stitching is smooth, dense, thin, neat, even, delicate and harmonious. The thin thread is divided into up to 48 strands that are barely visible to the naked eye. Double-sided embroidery has the same pattern on both sides and uses the same embroidering method that does not show the joins in the stitches. Su embroidery products were sent to participate in the Panama World Fair in 1915. Since then, the style has become increasingly famous throughout the world.

Xiang embroidery was initiated in the Chu Kingdom of the Warring States Period. It had become the main craft in places around Changsha, capital city of Hunan Province, in the Qing Dynasty Xiang embroidery was developed from Hunan folk embroidery methods, but it also drew on the skills of Su embroidery and Yue embroidery. Xiang embroidery products use loose colorful threads to embroider the pattern and the stitches are not as neat as those of other embroidery styles. The various colored threads are mixed together, showing a gradual change in color with a rich and harmonious tone. Designs on Xiang embroidery mostly derive from traditional Chinese paintings of landscapes, human figures, flowers, birds and animals. The most common designs on Xiang embroidery are lions and tigers. The tigers appear strong and bold, revealing their power and menace as a king of animals. Xiang embroidery won the best award in the Torino World Fair in Italy in 1912 and the First Award in the Panama World Fair in 1933. Xiang embroidery is known abroad as the ideal embroidery.

Yue embroidery was entirely developed in the Tang Dynasty Ancient Chinese craftsmen used peacock feathers twisted together as the embroidering thread to stitch the ornamental designs; horsetail was used to stitch the outline to make the work more expressive. The designs of Yue embroidery are rich and complicated in content with bright colors and strong decorative effects. The embroidery is smooth and even. One type, gold and silver cushion embroidery, creates a magnificent three-dimensional effect Yue embroidery has a wide range of designs, the most common ones being birds worshipping the sun, dragons and phoenixes. Yue embroidery includes the Guang and Chao branches which have different stitching styles.

Shu embroidery products are mostly found in Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province. They are made with soft satins and colored threads as the raw materials are embroidered by hand. The varied stitching methods form their unique local style' Designs on Shu embroidery include flowers, birds, landscapes, fish, worms and human figures. The products themselves include quilt covers, pillow covers, back cushions, table cloths, scarves and handkerchiefs.

Besides the four major embroidery styles, there are Ou embroidery of Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, Bian embroidery of Kaifeng, Henan Province, and the Han embroidery of Wuhan, Hubei Province.

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