Bianxiu
01 · Historical Records
Since the 1990s, Bian embroidery artisans have adapted to modern aesthetic needs and achieved a major breakthrough in the embroidery of human portraits, earning praise from experts and all sectors of society.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Bian embroidery, also known as “Song embroidery,” is a traditional embroidery art popular in the Kaifeng area of Henan Province; it takes its name from Bianjing, or Kaifeng, the capital of the Northern Song dynasty. During the Northern Song dynasty the embroidery industry in Bianjing flourished and had already reached a very high level of skill, which is why the Dongjing Menghua Lu (A Record of Dreaming of Splendor in the Eastern Capital) praised it with the words “gold and jade shining against each other, brocade and embroidery vying in brilliance.” In the second year of the Jingkang era under Emperor Qinzong of Song (1127), Jin troops broke through Kaifeng and the Song court moved south; the city was then further struck by warfare and flooding, Kaifeng’s urban economy collapsed, and the embroidery industry gradually declined. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, several generations of Bian embroidery artisans worked to excavate and systematize the embroidery techniques of the Song dynasty, and drew on the strengths of other embroidery traditions such as Su embroidery and Xiang embroidery, summarizing thirty-six Bian embroidery stitch techniques and bringing Bian embroidery craftsmanship to ever greater perfection and maturity. Bian embroidery excels at embroidering traditional subjects such as flowers, birds, insects, and fish, and flying and running animals, and is also adept at reproducing famous paintings in needlework. Its embroidered works are lifelike and vivid, its stitching rigorous and meticulous, its technique exquisite and refined, and its colors simple and elegant, making Bian embroidery a rare treasure among the embroidery arts.
Thirty-six stitches of Bian embroidery
Generations of Bian embroiderers recovered the Song techniques, drawing on Su and Xiang stitches, and fixed the repertoire at thirty-six.
Roller, back-stitch, mat-weft and anchor-thread
The dozen stitches Wang Suhua invented give Bian embroidery volume and vividness while keeping its refined and folk character alike.
Along the River During Qingming in silk
Wang Suhua's 1959 copy of Zhang Zeduan's handscroll was presented for the tenth anniversary and hangs in the Henan Hall of the Great Hall of the People.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Bian embroidery, also known as “Song embroidery,” takes its name from Bianjing, or Kaifeng, the capital of the Northern Song dynasty, and is popular mainly in the Kaifeng area of Henan Province. During the Northern Song dynasty the embroidery industry in Bianjing flourished and had already reached a very high level of skill, which is why the Dongjing Menghua Lu praised it with the words “gold and jade shining against each other, brocade and embroidery vying in brilliance.” In the second year of the Jingkang era under Emperor Qinzong of Song (1127), Jin troops broke through Kaifeng and the Song court moved south; the city was then further struck by warfare and flooding, Kaifeng’s urban economy collapsed, and the embroidery industry gradually declined.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Wang Suhua (as recorded in the official archive of the associated inheritor): female, of the Han nationality, born in April 1935, a native of Fengqiu County, Henan Province. She is a master of Chinese arts and crafts. She loved embroidery from childhood. At the age of ten she learned embroidery from her maternal grandmother Han Chengshi; at thirteen she learned from her mother; and by sixteen she could embroider satin quilt covers on her own. In 1957 she began working at the Kaifeng Bian Embroidery Factory, successively serving as deputy workshop chief, workshop chief, deputy factory director, and factory director; she is currently chairwoman of the Kaifeng Suhua Song Embroidery Craft Co., Ltd. On the basis of immersing herself in everyday life, conducting field investigations, and inheriting, excavating, and systematizing the ancient techniques of Song embroidery, she created more than a dozen new stitch techniques, including rolling-stitch embroidery, reverse-thread embroidery, mat-strip embroidery, and anchor-rope embroidery, which enhanced the vividness and three-dimensionality of Bian embroidery’s expressive power. Her work is both refined and elegant while retaining a strong folk character, and she has formed a distinctly personal style. Her 1959 embroidery of the Song dynasty masterpiece Riverside Scene at the Qingming Festival by Zhang Zeduan was displayed in the Henan Hall of the Great Hall of the People as Henan Province’s tribute on the tenth anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic. She is a representative inheritor of Bian embroidery, a national-level intangible cultural heritage item in the third national-level batch. Many of her works have won national-level awards. She is devoted to transmitting, training, and teaching the art, having instructed more than one hundred young inheritors.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Wang Suhua 03-1292
- Chengmanping
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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