There are many kinds of Chinese embroidery. Why is Suzhou embroidery called national embroidery?

Suzhou embroidery is one of the outstanding traditional national crafts in China. It originated in Wuxian County, Suzhou, and has spread all over Wuxi, Changzhou and other places. Suzhou embroidery has a unique style, beautiful patterns, ingenious ideas, meticulous embroidery, lively stitches, elegant colors and strong local characteristics.

The Qing Dynasty was the heyday of Suzhou embroidery. At that time, there were various schools of Suzhou embroidery, and famous artists competed for each other, which established the status of Suzhou embroidery as one of the four famous embroideries in China. The four famous embroideries are Su Embroidery, Xiang Embroidery, Yue Embroidery and Shu Embroidery, among which Su Embroidery has the longest history, and the other three embroideries all refer to Su Embroidery during its formation.

Suzhou embroidery originated in Wuxian County, Suzhou, where the land is fertile, the climate is mild, sericulture is developed and silk is rich, and it has been the hometown of splendid scenery since ancient times. Superior geographical environment, rich brocade and colorful flower lines have created favorable conditions for the development of Suzhou embroidery.

Suzhou embroidery has a long history. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Wu had already made clothes with Suzhou embroidery. Embroidery is an important part of Wu-Yue culture. Although Suzhou embroidery at that time did not form mature branches and characteristics, its basic techniques were quite mature.

The development of Suzhou embroidery is closely related to the development of Jiangnan silk industry. Especially after the Song Dynasty, Suzhou embroidery technology was very prosperous, and the craft became more and more mature, even reaching the point of "every family raised silkworms to embroider". Embroidery workshop, rolling embroidery workshop, Jinxiu workshop and embroidery workshop can be seen everywhere, which is enough to see the prosperity of Suzhou embroidery.

The combination of Su embroidery and painting art in Ming Dynasty, led by Wu Pai, greatly promoted the development of Su embroidery. Suzhou embroidery artists combine painting to re-create, and the masterpieces embroidered are lifelike, which is known as "painting with needles" and "outstanding".

Shen Shou is a representative figure of Suzhou embroidery in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. Her embroidery was presented as a gift to Cixi for her seventieth birthday, which greatly appreciated Cixi. The name "Shenshou" was also given by Cixi. Shen Shou's masterpiece is "The Portrait of the Italian Queen Elena", which was later presented to Italy as a national gift, causing a sensation in Italy's ruling and opposition parties. In the last few years of Shen Shou's life, he collected his life's experience in embroidery skills in the form of Shen Shou's dictation and Zhang Jian's notes, leaving the book "Snow Embroidery".