Folk embroidery

Folk Embroidery

　　Folk embroidery is a craft form that combines both decorative and practical functions. The embroidered pieces not only feature exquisite patterns and radiant colors, offering high ornamental value, but their layered stitching techniques also enhance the durability of garments. Bearing the weight of profound traditional culture and national spirit, folk embroidery is a product of China’s agrarian civilization.

　　The folk embroidery that has been passed down through the centuries in Xixia District has gained popularity among the public for its exquisite craftsmanship. The Zhao family, representative inheritors of this tradition, originally lived in Hongchengshui Village, Xiamaguan Town, Tongxin County, before moving to Xixia District in Yinchuan City. Local women’s fondness for folk embroidery laid the foundation for its continuation.

　　By the time the skill was inherited by Zhao Guiqin, the embroidery works had developed a distinctive personal style. The process includes conceptualization, outlining, redrawing the design, selecting materials, threading various thicknesses of silk, using needles of different sizes, and mounting. The Zhao family’s embroidery emphasizes technique and finesse—whether it’s a single strand of hair or an expression in the eyes of a human or animal figure, or even a leaf or ripple in nature, Zhao Guiqin can render them with delicate detail and vivid spirit. The completed works are lifelike and exquisitely crafted, characterized by vitality, aesthetics, artistry, and decorativeness. The themes employ metaphors and symbolism to express a range of emotions, and the subject matter evolves with the changing times.

　　Generational heritage and refined craftsmanship are best embodied in Zhao Guiqin. In recent years, her works have won numerous awards. Lotus won first prize at the “Welcoming the Olympics, Celebrating the Grand Occasion, Praising the ‘Four Virtues,’ and Advocating Integrity” Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition organized by the Publicity Department of the Autonomous Region Party Committee; “The Twelve Beauties of Jinling” won first prize in embroidery craftsmanship and the Best Art Award at the first district-wide cultural activity series for building a new socialist countryside, co-hosted by the Publicity Department of the Autonomous Region Party Committee, the Culture Department, the TV Station, the Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Department, the Sports Bureau, and the Xinxi Bao newspaper; “Prosperity of Dragon and Phoenix” won a gold award at the Yanhuang Cup’s first exhibition of outstanding works by Chinese and overseas masters; “Journey to the West by Tang Monk and His Disciples” won first prize at the China Cup National Art Exhibition for the Olympics and the Best Performance Award at the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition; “Goji Berries Are Red” and “Returning to Mother’s Home” won first prize at the Harmony and Prosperity Cup Arts and Crafts Exhibition; “Blue and White Porcelain” won a bronze award in the folk arts and crafts category at the 10th China Folk Literature and Art Mountain Flower Awards in Dongguan, Guangdong.

　　In the 1980s, folk embroidery was practiced in every village across all towns in Yongning County, where rural women would gather during the agricultural off-season to teach and learn embroidery techniques from one another.

　　The embroidery art of Ma Wulian, Zhang Qiao’er, and Zai Naibai, farmers from Yongning County, was deeply influenced by their grandmothers and mothers. They fully absorbed the forms, techniques, and styles of folk embroidery from the Yellow River basin and the Liupan Mountain area of Ningxia. Building upon these traditional foundations, they focused on local culture and conducted in-depth research into the folk customs and clothing characteristics of the Hui ethnic group in Ningxia. They created numerous embroidered works with Hui ethnic features, which have received praise from experts and popularity among local residents. These works reflect, from one perspective, the changes and progress in the lives of contemporary Hui people in Ningxia.

　　To further inherit, promote, and showcase this traditional folk art, the Yongning County government established a creative park on the China Hui Ethnic Street in Najiahu Village, Yongning County. The park brings together skilled Hui women with exceptional folk embroidery skills from Yongning County to perform embroidery live and sell their works.

　　Xingqing District boasts a rich variety of folk embroidery pieces and a large number of artisans. Among them, Li Fengqin from Daxincun Village, Daxin Town, creates embroidery that bridges tradition and innovation. Her works not only carry forward the intricate stitching methods of traditional embroidery but also introduce novel content and complex, interwoven needlework. With bright thread combinations and a distinctive style, Li Fengqin’s pieces both inherit and develop traditional embroidery, making her one of the representatives of Northwest Chinese embroidery.

　　Li Fengqin’s embroidery works are distinctive in style: flower petals have clearly defined layers, symbolizing wealth and prosperity; characters have expressive, lifelike faces; animals are lively and endearing, closely resembling nature. Through decades of creation and research, Li Fengqin has successively embroidered traditional works such as “Prosperity in Bloom,” “Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum,” and “Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.” She has also created original pieces such as “Happy Women’s Day,” “Joy for All Families,” and “Celebrating National Day.” Among these, “Happy Women’s Day” won second prize at the Xixia District Handicraft Art Exhibition.

　　Source: Yinchuan Municipal Government Portal Website