A stitch in time

Yue Embroidery

Also called Guang embroidery, Yue embroidery is a general name for embroidery from the regions of Guangzhou, Shantou, Zhongshan, Fanyu and Shunde in Guangdong Province, South China.

Yue embroidery formed its own unique characteristics during its evolution. In terms of art, Yue embroidery is complicated and crowded in patterns, brilliant in colors, simple in stitch, rough and loose in embroidery threads with irregularly long and short stitches and overlapped patterns. Patterns of dragons and phoenixes, peonies, pine trees and cranes, birds and beasts dominate the embroidery. Floss, thread and gold-and-silk thread embroidery are used to produce costumes, decorations for halls and crafts for daily use.

Although Yue embroidery is smooth, the artisans sometimes use gold and silver thread to create a three dimensional impression in their designs. As Yue embroidery has developed, it has often borrowed stylistic elements from other Chinese embroidery styles. Yue embroidery can also be sub-categorized into the Guang and Chao styles. These two styles are considered a part of the Yue embroidery "family" and have their own distinct stitching techniques.

Su Embroidery

Su embroidery is noted for its unique needlework, refined coloring, and strong aesthetic appeal, which all require exquisite craftsmanship and unlimited patience of the embroiderers.

It focuses on the thickness of colored silk threads. To fully show the embroidered image, embroiderers usually cut out the right thickness of silk threads according to different fabrics, colors, and embroidery themes. A thin thread can be divided up into a quarter, 1/12, 1/24, and even 1/48 strands that are barely visible to the naked eye.