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Suzhou Silk Museum

Embroidery

Silk Museum

Thread lanes, brocade mills, embroidery flower streets, etc., in the city. That proved the prosperity of suzhou embroidery. Some lived by embroidering. Daughters in rich families were engaged in it as a way of killing time and molding their experiment. That's how "popular embroidery", "boudoir embroidery" and "palace embroidery" came into being. Suzhou embroidery in Qing dynasty reached its culmination. Suzhou was called the "market of embroidery", famous both at home and abroad. There were various ways of knitting and they were applied widely. Mountains, rivers, lakes, pavilions, flowers and birds, characters were all embroidered. Suzhou embroidery was largely needed in the palace. Therefore wonderful and magnificent embroidery sprang up.

At the end of Qing dynasty and the beginning of Ming dynasty, Songtao, an expert at embroidery, renovated the traditional way of knitting. Flowers and birds, characters embroidered in new ways, or endowed with new meaning ,were very characteristic. The image of Lina, the queen of Italy absorbed the theory of chiaroscuro. Close attention was paid to the vividness of the images. Such embroidery was called "art embroidery" or "emulation embroidery". Songtao combined the previous art and his own experience, classified the way of knitting into 18 varieties, as recorded by Zhangsui in a book. Thus the way of knitting was systematized. Her own embroidery won several awards for the country in International Fair.

The pieces of embroidery on characters, animals and flowers, mountains and water are for appreciation. They can also be made into pictures, book marks, a set of hanging scrolls, etc. There are also the varieties of embroidery: single-side embroidery, double-side embroidery of different colors. Double-side embroidery, the specific style of suzhou embroidery can be appreciated from both sides. Pictures look exactly the same and wonderful on both sides. Special ways are used in knitting instead of knotting. There the end of silk threads are invisible. It is knitted in the right angle without piercing the other side. Both sides will present the same excellent effect. The Nangjing Bridge , Xiangjun, the peony, the cat, the goldfish are the masterpieces in double-side embroidery.

Silk Fan

Suzhou Silk Fan

Suzhou fans have a long history and are famous at home and abroad. The exquisite sandalwood fan, folding fan, silk palace fan, paper fan are all characteristic of arts. The production of sandalwood fan include zigzag shaped steel thread on the two ends of a bamboo bow and the engraving of flowers with it. "Ironing Flowers" refers to the drawing of flowers and characters on the spread sandalwood fan with an electric pen. The drawing is vivid, with clear gradations, has the effect of drawing on paper. "Drawing Flowers" refers to the drawing of women, flowers and birds, mountains and waters on the silk on the upper half of the fan. The picture is colorful and the drawing is fine and delicate.

Suzhou Silk Fan

The folding fans of Suzhou are characteristic of being fine and elegant. The frame are mainly made of bamboo carved or painted, and pieces of white bones with elegant flowers. The drawn pictures include flowers and birds, poems and patterns clear and pleasant. Laofan brand of the folding fan is the best. Pictures are fine and beautiful. They are flat, strong and smooth. What's more, they last long.

The silk palace fan is the most famous one among the fans. It spread far and wide since Han dynasty. There are round, hexagon, rectangle ones. Its face is made of silk. Some are made of thin silk or cloth. There are also single level or double level ones. Pictures are drawn on it, matched by teeth, bones, bamboo handles. The ancient style and elegance are obvious. It looks fine and pleasant.

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