Shu embroidery

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Shu embroidery

Applicant: Chengdu City, Sichuan Province

Project No.: 320

Project No.: Ⅶ - 21

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: traditional art

Region: Sichuan Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Chengdu City, Sichuan Province

Protection unit: Chengdu Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center (Chengdu intangible cultural heritage Art Research Institute)

Introduction to Shu embroidery:

Applicant: Chengdu City, Sichuan Province

Shu embroidery, also known as Sichuan embroidery, originated from the folk in Western Sichuan and got its name because of its geographical relationship. In ancient times, Western Sichuan plain was rich in silkworms, so it was called "Shu state". According to historical records, silk and hemp fabrics were transported to Yong, the capital of Thailand, for trade in the spring and Autumn period. By the Jin Dynasty, embroidery had become a specialty of Shu. Shu embroidery developed with the development of silk weaving industry in Shu. Shu embroidery products were controlled by the government in the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. After Sui and Tang Dynasties, with the development of trade along the Silk Road, the demand for embroidery products increased sharply. Under this situation, Shu embroidery developed rapidly and reached a historical peak. In Ming and Qing Dynasties, in addition to boudoir girls, there were many professional embroidery workers and small embroidery workshops in Sichuan. Around 1925, Chengdu alone had more than 1000 embroidery employees and more than 60 shops. In the 1950s, Shu embroidery spread all over Sichuan. At the end of the 1970s, there were almost every needlework and needlework in the rural areas of Western Sichuan, with as many as 4500 embroidery workers.

Shu embroidery has 12 categories and 122 kinds of needling techniques. Shu embroidery is based on red and green satin and loose thread woven locally. Various stitches are used alternately. The stitching is rigorous, the thread is neat and steady, and the color is elegant. It is good at pricking delicate and vivid images of embroidery, birds, insects and fish, and is good at expressing the majestic momentum of mountains and rivers. Influenced by geographical environment, customs, local culture and art, Shu embroidery has gradually formed a unique style of preciseness and delicacy, brightness and smoothness, sparse composition, mellow and bright color in the long-term development process.

Shu embroidery has high cultural and artistic value. However, due to the influence of social changes and market demand, the production scale and commercial income of Shu embroidery have declined significantly in recent years, leading to a large number of skilled craftsmen to move to exile, and many ancient embroidery techniques have been quickly lost.