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Editor's pick: Cantonese emvroidery

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-12-15 09:55

Cantonese embroidery, or Yue (means Guangdong) embroidery, is one of the Four Famous Chinese Embroideries. Dating back several centuries, the designs produced with this style are complicated and have a variety of stylistic accents to draw attention to the central subject. It is also a style marked by smooth embroidery, with very little of the three dimensional texturing found in other styles. With bright colors and a variety of different threads used, Yue embroidery is perhaps the most eclectic of the four major Chinese embroidery styles, and it is still produced today.

Yue embroidery pieces can be done on silk or cotton. Early artisans used peacock feathers, which had been twisted together as their thread, and this uniquely colorful material is still used as an accenting thread and as a way to blend separate objects in the design together. Another unique thread used is made from the tail of the horse; this coarse material is used to stitch an outline to the piece, which invites the eye to linger on the patterns, colors and objects, making up the main design. This main design may be produced with either silk or cotton threads, and often features multiple objects or animals such as birds or dragons.

Although Yue embroidery is smooth, Yue crafters sometimes use gold and silver thread to create a three dimensional impression in their designs. The craft has also borrowed stylistic elements from other Chinese embroidery styles.

(China Daily 12/15/2010)