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Chinese Embroidery |
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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.
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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. |
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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.
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