Basic Introduction to Maliu Embroidery
Maliu Embroidery is a folk cross-stitch embroidery from Liuxiang, Chaotian District. Maliu embroidery women use various colored local threads to embroider on different types of local cloth. The patterns they create depict themes such as love and happiness, farming and harvesting, entertainment and dance, or flowers, birds, insects, and fish, all imbued with the spirit of northern Sichuan and a strong rustic charm. As it is handmade by cross-stitching, Maliu embroidery has a strong individual character and is highly valuable for collectors. Many tourists and collectors both domestically and internationally cherish them as precious treasures, taking great pleasure in collecting them.
The “Chinese Folk Art Hometown,” Liuxiang, is renowned at home and abroad for its rustic Maliu customs and folk embroidery. It is said that the people of Maliu are descended from Han Chinese assimilation of the Qiang ethnic group. People in Maliu like to wear clothes embroidered with exquisite patterns and live in stilt houses known as “main house with side pavilions.” They enjoy singing mountain songs, playing gongs (drums), and lion-dragon dances… their simple folkways are similar to those of the Qiang people. Maliu embroidery is a handicraft passed down from generation to generation. In the Maliu area, there is a widespread saying: “To see how skillful a girl is, one must look at her needlework.” Girls in Maliu start learning embroidery from the age of four or five, and by the time they are seventeen or eighteen, they can sew an entire set of exquisite dowry items. Maliu embroidery does not require a pattern draft; the size and position of the pattern are determined by “counting the threads of the base fabric.” The household items they embroider, such as bed curtains, pillowcases, waistbands, sleeve bands, handkerchiefs, flower shoes, and pencil cases, have bright tones, strong contrasts, ingenious combinations, and a strong decorative flavor, evoking a rich rustic atmosphere. “Praiseworthy are the Maliu embroidery girls, adorning the Qinling-Bashan mountains,” is a heartfelt evaluation from experts and scholars. In June 2008, Maliu embroidery was listed as part of the national intangible cultural heritage.
Forms of Expression
“Maliu Embroidery” has a rich variety of subjects and flexible forms of expression. It mainly includes the following types:
Lattice Flower
Also known as “cross-stitch,” this is the most representative type in “Maliu Embroidery.” “Counting threads and embroidering without a draft,” it emphasizes thread matching and stitching technique. There are certain rules in the stitching: “three horizontal stitches, three vertical stitches, three stitches picked, three stitches skipped.” The pattern is formed on one side, with the threads running straight inside without crossing. Inside, the stitches are neat and even, basically forming straight lines. Lattice flowers are typically used for wedding dowries, pillowcases, shoe insoles, etc.
Cross-stitch
Cross-stitch has stricter requirements than lattice flower embroidery. The embroidered product looks the same on both sides, often referred to as “inside-out flowers.” Colors are usually dominated by red and green, and the products are primarily handkerchiefs and head covers.
Pattern Stitch
Also called embroidery, the method involves cutting paper into patterns and sticking them onto the fabric to be worked on, or lightly drawing the patterns with a pen, then manually stitching according to the patterns. The stitch covers the pattern without exceeding it, the stitches are longer, and there is no need to count threads. The colors can be determined based on the nature of the flowers.
Chain Stitch
Chain stitch is generally used for thicker fabrics. There is no need to count threads, and the patterns are independent and do not connect with each other. Only the overall effect is considered, allowing for free-form chain stitching. The stitching techniques and colors are the same as for pattern stitch.
Running Stitch
Running stitch emphasizes line beauty. The direction and length of the stitches are determined by the pattern, and the colors can be chosen based on personal preference. Generally, embroidery of characters, paintings, and single-line compositions uses the running stitch technique.
Cultural Anecdotes
“Maliu Embroidery” is the general term for embroidery practiced in areas around Maliu, Yudong, Linxi, Xia'an, etc., within the jurisdiction of Chaotian District, Guangyuan City. It is a folk art passed down through generations, an inheritance and development of folk art by Maliu ancestors, and a pure and exquisite folk art treasure created in a self-sufficient and leisurely life.
Product Characteristics
“Maliu Embroidery” uses locally sourced materials. The materials used are only simple needles, threads, and cloth, combining black, white, red, blue, and other local cloths with colored cotton threads, arranged in different shades of warm and cool colors. The embroidered products have detailed stitching, bright colors, and ingenious combinations, delighting the eye. The patterns they depict include farming and harvesting, wedding rituals, love and marriage, figures, birds, and animals, in a variety of styles, imbued with a strong rustic charm and typical northern Sichuan style.
“Maliu Embroidery” works have a wide range of applications. Most of the works are various daily necessities, such as bed curtains, pillowcases, pillow towels, waistbands, and hand towels. The composition is mainly continuous or segmented. These two composition methods can be used separately or alternately, having a strong Qiang embroidery characteristic, conforming to traditional aesthetic principles. “Maliu Embroidery” has a rich subject matter. Through exaggeration, generalization, and transformation of figures, landscapes, animals, and flowers, a special decorative language is formed, expressing people's aspirations for a better life, such as works like “National Peace and Prosperity,” “Honest Officials on Patrol,” and “Rats' Wedding.” Common motifs like dragons, phoenixes, lions, tigers, hats, lotus flowers, peonies, and others symbolize auspiciousness, longevity, and peace. Among the most interesting is the portrayal of fierce creatures like lions and tigers as lovable images that punish evil and promote good, with bold brows and eyes, imposing and vigorous, simple and clear lines, and lively and unique shapes. This artistic exaggeration and transformation retains the authenticity of life while endowing the embroidery works with strong decorative appeal and artistic beauty.
The embroidery methods of “Maliu Embroidery” generally include “lattice flower, cross-stitch, pattern stitch, chain stitch, and running stitch.” “Maliu Embroidery” has a wide variety of embroidered goods, rich stitching techniques, and extensive pattern subjects; the embroidery techniques vary, including “full cross-stitch,” “full embroidery,” “half cross-stitch half embroidery,” some also using “patchwork” and “rolled edges,” resulting in rich expressiveness and strong three-dimensional effects.
The “skilled hands” of “Maliu Embroidery” can embroider without a draft, with the patterns entirely in their minds. They arrange the patterns, positions, and proportions on the fly, wielding the needle like a brush and counting the threads. The embroidered patterns are symmetrical, well-arranged, and beautifully proportioned, filled with a strong rustic charm, vividly reflecting people's living scenes and aspirations for a better life. Through years of excavation, organization, and promotion, it has long been acclaimed worldwide, winning widespread praise from many experts, scholars, and foreign friends.