Jimo Embroidered Lace

Jimo Embroidered Lace

　　 Jimo Embroidered Lace During the late Qing Dynasty, manual crafts such as "small buttonhole lockstitch" (also known as pinch embroidery) and embroidery were widely practiced among the folk in Jimo. Rural women skillfully embroidered shoe uppers, pillowcases, bridal garments, and theatrical costumes in a rich variety of designs. In 1918, Lu Zhongxi, an artisan from Huangwa Village (now part of Yifengdian Town), introduced an Italian "handmade lace" pattern through a British merchant-operated De Ren Foreign Firm in Yantai. After successfully creating samples, he invested in establishing "Yumin Flower Shop" in Beige Li, north of Jimo City, dedicated to operating and spreading the craft. As "handmade lace" spread and developed, many local artisans continuously absorbed characteristics and stitching techniques from "small buttonhole lockstitch" and embroidery during the production process, gradually forming a unique set of stitches with traditional ethnic features and local artistic styles. Since this stitching technique originated and evolved among the folk of Jimo, the lace produced with it came to be called "Jimo Handmade Lace," which was the prototype of "Jimo Embroidered Lace." Later, artisans continued to innovate on the basis of inheriting traditional skills, gradually developing "Jimo Embroidered Lace" into a diverse, widely applicable, and richly colorful craft.

　　 Jimo Embroidered Lace is a type of single-thread embroidered lace, primarily using silk threads of varying thicknesses and high-quality linen fabric as raw materials. It integrates over 20 crafting techniques—including locking, weaving, braiding, twining, pulling, exposing, and inlaying—and more than 80 types of stitches. By comprehensively applying these techniques and stitches and through inlaying, the lace and embroidery are joined into a cohesive set, with balanced voids and solids, harmonious unity, distinct layers, and delicate colors, creating a strong bas-relief effect that meets the technical requirements of being flat, thin, smooth, even, neat, and clean. The main stitching techniques for the woven edges include over 50 types such as locked lantern buttons, dense weave, twisted posts, edge rests, two-needle nets, and three-needle nets. The main embroidery stitches include over 20 types such as flower insertion, vein stitching, base filling, warp (weft) drawing, edge locking, eyelet cutting, wire picking, thread drawing, and hook cutting. Both the woven edges and embroidery require consistent thread tension, appropriate bobbin thread, non-frayed and non-fuzzy threads, evenly spaced and clear mesh holes, and uniform stitch spacing. The resulting patterns feature sharp corners, rounded arcs, and neat edges, with the overall piece being flat without curling or warping. After its creation, Jimo Embroidered Lace quickly spread among rural women in Jimo and developed into a major household side industry. In the early years of the Republic of China, a vast production area centered around Jimo emerged, extending north to Laizhou and Haiyang, south to Laoshan, and west across both banks of the Gushui River. Jimo County alone had 45 private lace shops. Before the liberation of Jimo, the county had over 30 lace shops capable of producing two product types—tablecloths and table napkin sets—in more than ten specifications, with annual output hovering around eight to nine thousand sets. After the founding of New China, with the expansion of foreign trade, Jimo Embroidered Lace earned the international reputation of being an "embroidered lace treasure." Its varieties and specifications continuously evolved toward medium- and high-end, as well as multi-purpose applications. Production, output value, and profits steadily increased. Lace products expanded to over ten categories including tablecloths, table napkin sets, bedspreads, sofa covers, cushions, collar trims, umbrella tops, and piano covers, encompassing more than 2,800 specifications. New products such as "Belted Lace" and "New Belted Lace" were also developed. In 1978, Jimo Embroidered Lace was recognized as a famous-brand product by the Shandong Provincial Second Light Industry Department; in 1979, it was awarded the title of "Shandong Provincial Quality Product" by the Shandong Provincial Economic Commission; in 1980, it was named a quality product by the Ministry of Light Industry; and in 1983, it won the Golden Cup Award of the "China Arts and Crafts Hundred Flowers Awards" from the People's Republic of China.