Ｓｃｉｎｔｉｌｌａｔｉｎｇ Ｓｉｌｋ

Situated in Jiangsu Province， in aplace of fertile land and mild cli-mate， with natural conditions idealfor the cultivation of the silkworm，for many hundreds of years Suzhou has re-mained a center of silk production， and theancient city has long been famous for a par-ticular fine style of textile crafting Suzhouembroidery.

Needles and colorful threads of fine silkare applied by skilled hands to create ele-gant and delightful patterns on not only silk，but also satin and cotton cloth. A renownedChinese handicraft， Suzhou embroiderieshave long been presented as state gifts todistinguished visiting foreign guests.

A Stitch in Time

The earliest historical records concern-ing Suzhou embroidery， referencing thedecorations of garments of the State ofWu， date back to the Spring and AutumnPeriod(770-476 B.C.).The Song Dynasty(960-1279) witnessed the popularizationand rapid development in Suzhou embroi-dery craftsmanship. In rural areas， almostall households farmed silkworms and em-broidered， while in urban areas mills andshops specializing in embroidery and relat-ed materials were abundant. Not only wasembroidery a means to make a living， theartful craft was also a way for young ladiesof distinguished families to pass the timeand express themselves. Thus came to beparticular styles with names such as \"popu-lar embroidery，\" \"boudoir embroidery，\" and\"palace embroidery.\"

During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)，the southern regions on the lower reaches ofthe Changjiang(Yangtze)River became thecenter of silk handicraft production.

Artists of the Wu area， like Tang Yin(Tang Bohu) and Shen Zhou， further de-veloped Suzhou embroidery. Embroiderersreproduced their paintings using needles.These works were so vivid and elegant theycame to be referred to as \"needle paint-ings\" and \"surpassing even nature.\" Sincethose long past days， Suzhou embroideryevolved a unique style of needlework， col-oring and pattern.

Suzhou embroidery reached a peak dur-ing the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911).The em-broidered products used by the royal fam-ily were almost exclusively from Suzhou.Folk embroidery products were even morediverse， including decorations on garments，theater costumes， quilt covers， pillowcases，heavy curtains， back cushions， shoes， sa-chets and fan cases. These daily articleswere also in great demand by average citi-zens due to the meticulous and varied stitch-ing and the elegant use of color. Moreover，many patterns expressed blessings for hap-piness， longevity， and good luck.

Another type of embroidery， \"painting-like embroidery，\" was regarded as an exqui-site collectible.

During the period extending from thelate Qing to the early Republic of China(1911-1949)eras， to some extent influ-enced by Western civilization， producersof Suzhou embroidery increasingly beganto innovate.

During the reign of Emperor Guang Xuof the Qing Dynasty， Shen Shou， a masterof Suzhou embroidery， integrated the effectof portraits in oil painting into her embroi-dery work， and created a new style called\"emulation embroidery.\" Her Portrait of theItalian Queen Lina was sent to Italy as anational gilt and there created a sensation.In 1915， her Portrait of Jesus won the firstprize at the Panama-Pacific Exhibition inthe US and was priced at the then astronom-ical sum of $13，000. Shen's \"emulation em-broidery\" achieved remarkable recognitionboth at home and abroad， while markingthe prelude to a new epoch in the handicraftevolution of Suzhou embroidery.

The double-sided Kitty is one of themost representative masterpieces of Suzhouembroidery. A hair-thin thread is split into2， 4， 12， even 48 strands; and the joining isbarely visible to the naked eye. Viewers canappreciate the lively facial expression ofthe cat from both sides. The most difficultpart of the needlework is the eyes， whichtypically require threads of more than 20different colors.

Suzhou embroidery continues to devel-op in style and form， reflecting the essenceof other art forms， including Chinese andWestern paintings， photography， and sculp-ture. This elegant element of traditional cul-ture serves as an icon for the city of Suzhou，and the craft is continuously being passeddown. Today many young people special-ize in embroidery and many mills and shopshave reappeared in the city.

As one of the four famous Chinese em-broideries， alongside the embroidered prod-ucts of Hunan， Sichuan， and Guangdong，Suzhou embroidery is popular around theworld. The city's signature textile productcomprises 83 percent of China's total ex-ported embroideries.