Minjianxiuhuo
01 · Historical Records
Maliu embroidery, commonly known as “stitched flowers” (扎花), is a folk embroidery art popular in the Chaotian District area of Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province, and is closely related to local customs. Guangyuan has long had the saying “To know whether a family's daughter is clever, look at how good her needlework is”: local girls begin learning embroidery at the age of six or seven, and only after reaching adulthood do they discuss marriage; before that, someone must first be invited to “inspect their needlework,” so the quality of a girl's embroidery bears directly on her marriage prospects.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Folk embroidery is also known as “needle embroidery,” “stitched flowers,” and “flower embroidery”; since it is mostly done by women, it is also habitually called “women's needlework” (nügong). It is a traditional folk craft: a needle threaded with colored thread is passed through the fabric to form stitches, so that the embroidered marks create specific patterns or characters. Finished folk embroidery pieces are indispensable gifts and decorations in folk activities. The craft has a long history and is closely bound up with the daily life of ordinary people; since ancient times, Chinese folk tradition has circulated the saying “To know whether a family's daughter is clever, look at how good her needlework is.” Folk embroidery embraces a wide range of subjects and rich cultural connotations, and its regions of transmission span the length and breadth of the country, from the great river valleys to the Great Wall frontier. In Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan, Beijing, and elsewhere, folk embroidery has developed creatively, giving rise to distinct regional styles. Maliu embroidery, commonly known as “stitched flowers” (扎花), is a folk embroidery art popular in the Chaotian District area of Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province. Maliu embroidery is closely related to local customs. Guangyuan has the saying “To know whether a family's daughter is clever, look at how good her needlework is,” and local girls begin learning embroidery at the age of six or seven, mainly embroidering everyday articles such as bed curtains, pillowcases, waist aprons, hand towels, and embroidered shoes. In the past, Maliu embroidery mostly used homespun cloth in black, white, and red with colored homespun thread as its materials; today it has switched to white cloth or other solid-colored fabrics, and the embroidery threads are also more varied. Maliu embroidery has several stitching methods, including quan tiao (all counted-stitch work), quan xiu (all satin-stitch work), and ban tiao ban xiu (half counted-stitch and half satin-stitch work). When embroidering, no draft pattern is used; instead, the size and position of the design are determined by “counting the threads of the base cloth,” which ensures that the stitched lines are even and regular. Maliu embroidery is brightly colored and rich in subject matter, covering flowers, birds, animals, and insects; plowing, sowing, and harvesting; and wedding and funerary rites, among many other themes. Its compositions fall into two types, continuous and segmented; whether used separately or alternately, they can be combined ingeniously, brimming with a strong rustic flavor, with a powerful decorative sense and distinct characteristics of Qiang embroidery.
Counting threads and improvising
Working without a pattern, counting the threads and improvising, the needle moving like a brush so that the design emerges complete in one stroke.
Five stitches of Maliu work
Zhang Juhua is adept at frame, running, bead, lifting and free stitches, and is regarded locally as a leading hand of the craft.
Chrysanthemum and dragonfly pieces
Her chrysanthemums, orchids, floral pillows and dragonfly-and-lotus kerchiefs are much prized; she has taught the craft by apprenticeship, free classes and school posts.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Maliu embroidery is concentrated in Maliu Township of Chaotian District, Guangyuan City, and spreads to the villages and homesteads of Chaotian and Pingsha. When embroidering, no draft pattern is used; instead the embroiderer “counts the threads and stitches,” planning the motifs, patterns, and their size and arrangement on the spot, guiding the needle as if wielding a brush, so that the embroidered images are completed in one continuous flow. Representative pieces include “Chrysanthemum Picture,” “Orchid Picture,” “Flower Pillow,” and “Dragonfly and Lotus Pillow Towel.”
Other submitting regions for the same item: Minjianxiuhuo · Minjianxiuhuo · Minjianxiuhuo · Minjianxiuhuo · Minjianxiuhuo · Minjianxiuhuo · Minjianxiuhuo.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Zhang Juhua (related inheritor, official archival record): Female, Han ethnicity, born January 1977, native of Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province. She has mastered Maliu embroidery techniques such as jiahua (framed stitching), xiuhua (satin embroidery), chuanhua (chain stitching), tiaohua (counted-thread embroidery), and youhua (outline stitching), and is a well-known skilled embroiderer locally, with a certain degree of representativeness and influence. When embroidering she uses no draft pattern but “counts the threads and stitches,” planning motifs, patterns, and their size and arrangement on the spot; she guides the needle as if wielding a brush, so that the embroidered images are completed in one continuous flow and appear vividly lifelike. Pieces such as “Chrysanthemum Picture,” “Orchid Picture,” “Flower Pillow,” and “Dragonfly and Lotus Pillow Towel” are deeply popular. Through taking on apprentices, running free training classes, and serving as an embroidery teacher in schools, she actively carries out work on the transmission of the craft. Representative inheritor of Folk Embroidery (Maliu Embroidery), a project in the fifth national-level batch of intangible cultural heritage. Fourth-generation inheritor of Maliu embroidery.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Zhao Cuilin 05-2687
- Zhang Xiaohong 05-2688
- Liu Shouxian 05-2689
- Cai Yuee 05-2690
- Zhang Juhua 05-2691
- Li Xiayin
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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