Chinese Embroidery & Textiles

China is well known for its delicate silk threads and has decoratively embroidered textiles for thousands of years. Discovered by the outside world during the Han dynasty, Chinese embroidery and textiles became famous and were traded among the Greeks, Somalis, Romans, Persians, Indians, and Armenians for their beauty and lightweight quality. They were also sought after because they had a tendency to keep a person warm in the winter but cool in the summer.

The production of Chinese silk textiles was once one of the best kept trade secrets. Rearing silkworms to make silk requires care from the egg stage of a silkworm’s life until its cocoon stage. Once the worm reaches cocoon stage, the cocoon must be steamed or baked so that the pupa inside will die, and then dipped into hot water to unwind the cocoon filaments that create the silk threads.

Each region of China had their own distinctive style of embroidery. The oldest known style originates from the Sichuan province. This style is painstakingly precise, characterized by even stitches and subtle colors. The Guangdong province favored more geometric patterns and primary colors. Suzhou also used bright elegant colors, and chose to depict more natural imagery. The Hunan aesthetic, however, was different in that it was black and white.

Quick Facts

• Historically, if anyone were to attempt to reveal the secrets of silk-making outside of China, or bring silkworms and cocoons out of China, this was considered a crime punishable by death
• The silkworm diet consisted solely of mulberry leaves, which they ate until becoming very fat. In addition to this mulberry leaf diet, silkworms were also carefully protected from loud noises, drafts, and strong smells
• The secret of sericulture, the art of silk-making, was let out of China when many Chinese emigrated to Korea in 200 B.C. Since then, trade and travelers spread this art worldwide