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Suzhou embroidery
(Su embroidery for short), Hunan embroidery
(Xiang embroidery for short), Sichuan
embroidery (Shu embroidery for short) and Guangdong embroidery
(Yue embroidery for short) are the four most famous styles of
embroidery in China.
Suzhou Embroidery is made in Suzhou City which is considered the
'paradise of China' and lies in the south of Jiangsu province. Suzhou
embroidery has a history of artistic features such as bright colors,
detailed needlework and intricate images. And it's also known as 'the oriental
pearl'.
Suzhou Embroidery has a rich history of 2000 years. With the
development of economy and culture in the Song Dynasty, silkworm
breeding grew rapidly and Suzhou became a land of silk. Since then Su
Embroidery became an art to appreciation.
It is recorded that there was a lane called silk thread lane in
Suzhou. where craftsmen could gather and dye eighty to ninety
different colors, when added to the different level of darkness, the
total shades of color could reach up to 700.
During the Yuan, Ming, And Qin Dynasty , there was new creation and
development of Suzhou Embroidery. Mainly they used great artists's
paintings as inspiration. They began to create art with people,
landscapes, flowers , birds ,etc. Suzhou embroidery focuses on balance
, vividness, varied patterns, and different levels of color when they
compose a picture. One of the distinctive features of Suzhou
embroidery is that some pieces are two-sided; that is, the picture is
repeated on both sides of the embroidered piece. The stitching on
Suzhou embroidered pieces is done with silk threads that have been
divided until the actual thread is almost impossible to see. Through
the repetition of stitches a very dense embroidering occurs. Suzhou
embroidery has been used in clothing, wall hangings, and even
intricate book covers dating back almost 1,000 years.
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