Basic Introduction to Cantonese Embroidery
Cantonese embroidery, one of the four famous embroidery styles in China, historically referred to embroidery products from Guangzhou, Foshan, Nanhai, Panyu, Shunde, and other areas—specifically, embroidery crafts from the Guangfu region. This includes embroidered paintings, theatrical costumes, beaded embroidery, and more.
Product Characteristics
Cantonese embroidery works share a common feature: they are striking from afar and exquisitely detailed up close. In the early Qing Dynasty, British merchants brought clothing designs to Guangzhou workshops for embroidery. As these designs were in the Western oil painting style, embroiderers increased the variety of threads and improved their techniques to make the embroidery lifelike, enhancing the expressiveness of the embroidery and improving the skills of Cantonese embroidery. Techniques included twisting peacock feathers into thread and wrapping horsehair around yarn to create outlines. When British merchants brought designs to Guangzhou for embroidery, Cantonese embroidery absorbed the artistic style of Western oil painting, using perspective and principles of light reflection to enrich the design palette and expressiveness of the embroidery. These embroidered items were widely used in interior decoration and daily clothing. The mid-Qing Dynasty was the heyday of Cantonese embroidery exports; large embroidered paintings were taxed at 1.2 taels of silver, indicating their high value. At this time, Cantonese embroidery works combined Chinese and Western layouts and techniques, with vibrant colors and a strong sense of light and shadow. The artistry of these pieces is still evident in examples preserved in the Forbidden City today.
Historical Folklore
According to Su E's “Du Yang Zabian” (Miscellaneous Records of Du Yang) during the Tang Dynasty: “In the first year of Yongzhen (805 AD), an extraordinary girl named Lu Meiniang was presented as tribute from Nanhai. At the age of fourteen, her craftsmanship was unparalleled. She could embroider seven volumes of the Lotus Sutra on a single foot of silk, with characters no larger than grains of rice, yet clearly defined and fine as hair…” The above passage from “Du Yang Zabian” describes how in the first year of Emperor Shunzong's Yongzhen reign (805 AD), a 14-year-old girl named Lu Meiniang embroidered seven volumes of the Lotus Sutra onto a single foot of silk within the imperial palace, with characters as small as grains of rice but clearly defined and fine as hair, demonstrating her exceptional skill.
By the Song Dynasty, embroidered goods were widely used in daily life, and the craftsmanship of decorative items had reached maturity. By the middle to late Ming Dynasty, Cantonese embroidery had gained international renown.
In 1514 (ninth year of Zhengde), Portuguese traders purchased dragon robe embroidery pieces in Guangzhou, which were highly rewarded by their king. Thus, the name of Cantonese embroidery spread to Europe, and its products began to be exported abroad.
Awards and Honors
In 1911 (third year of Xuantong), at the “Nanyang Industrial Encouragement Fair” held in Nanjing, embroidered pieces sent by the Bin Hua Art School won third prize, while Yu De (Zong Xi, 1880-1970), a disciple of Huang Hong, won second prize for his work “Peacock and Peony” purse.
In 1915, Yu De's embroidery piece “Peacock and Peony Scene” won first prize at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition held in San Francisco, earning him the title of “Embroidery King.” In 1922, Yu De's embroidery piece “Lucky Lion” won second prize at the opening exhibition of London Bridge in England.
In 1923, Huang Mei (Han Guang)'s embroidered wall hangings “Chrysanthemum and Butterfly,” “Half-Sunken Goldfish,” and “Cockscomb Flower” won first prize at the Guangdong Province Domestic Goods Exhibition and earned her the title of “Embroidery Champion.” At this time, Huang Mei replaced straight stitches with spiral stitches to embroider tigers and created the eight-directional spiral stitch for cockscomb flowers, while Chen He Ying used the two-needle qilin method to embroider dragons and the hollow convex (Cantonese term “xu bu”) method to embroider dragons and phoenixes, both gaining fame in the domestic embroidery industry.
In 1929, Mo Fu's exquisite embroidery of Lenin's portrait was collected by the Lenin Memorial Museum in Moscow. At the Four Provinces Embroidery Exhibition held in Guangzhou in 1929, Cantonese embroidery pieces such as “Peacock and Peony,” “Foreign Lions,” and “Snowy Landscape” were exhibited once again, confirming its status as one of the four famous embroidery styles in China. In 1926, Yu De, Huang Mei, and others organized the Brocade Union, which had over 900 members, and their products, including mirror paintings, jackets, and large embroidered scenes, were sold overseas.
After the Japanese occupation of Guangzhou in 1938, artisans changed professions to make a living, and Cantonese embroidery declined significantly. Although it recovered slightly after World War II, it suffered significant damage. After liberation, the municipal government supported artisans in organizing themselves, and there was another peak in the mid-1950s.
In August 1954, the city's embroidery industry had 557 households and 932 people (including those who embroidered theatrical costumes and beaded embroidery). Renowned artisans such as Li Zhan, Yu De, Huang Mei, Li Xiaohua, Wen Jing, and Yi Ran created a series of famous Cantonese embroidery artworks that became well-known both domestically and internationally. Notable works include Yu De's “Peony and Crane,” Huang Mei's “Hundred Cranes,” and Nie Zhuo (a disciple of Yu De)'s “Portrait of Lu Xun.”
In 1957, the Guangzhou Arts and Crafts Research Institute was established, with an experimental factory equipped with 26 embroiderers. It also recruited graduates from art colleges to engage in embroidery design and production, excavating and compiling techniques such as Cantonese embroidery stitches, publishing a book titled “Guangzhou Embroidery Stitches” that unearthed 38 types of stitches in seven categories. Materials used in embroidery included velvet, silk thread, and metal thread embroidery. Prominent designers at the institute included Liang Ji and Duan Jizhang.
After the start of the Cultural Revolution in 1966, Cantonese embroidery was categorized as part of the “feudal, capitalist, and revisionist” practices to be swept away, causing artisans to disperse. Fortunately, in the 21st century, under the dedicated research of Xu Chiguang, Chen Shaofang, and others, the skills of Cantonese embroidery have been preserved and developed.