Mongolian Embroidery
01 · Historical Records
In the first year of the Chongde reign of the Qing Dynasty (1636 CE), the Qing court enfeoffed Badari, the eldest son of Ooba, chief of the Khorchin tribe, as the jasagh prince of Heshuo Tüsheetu (transliterated in Chinese as "Tushiyetu"). The prince's residence was completed in 1890.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Tushiyetu embroidery is a traditional handicraft mainly distributed in Horqin Right Wing Middle Banner, Hinggan League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. During the rule of the thirteenth prince, Babaoduorji, the Qing court instructed him to build a prince's residence in what is now Daiqintala Township (sumu). From then on, Tushiyetu embroidery was passed down from generation to generation by dedicated embroideresses who made garments and daily articles for the prince and his consort. After the founding of the People's Government of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Tushiyetu embroidery spread among the common people. Historically, Tushiyetu embroidery pieces were presented to the Qing court as tribute and exchanged as gifts among the princes and nobles of the ten banners of the Khorchin Mongols; it circulated throughout what is now Hinggan League in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Horqin Left Wing Rear Banner in Tongliao City, Gorlos Mongol Autonomous County in Jilin Province, and Dorbet Mongol Autonomous County in Heilongjiang Province. The pattern subjects of Tushiyetu embroidery are drawn mostly from daily life and nature—flowers, plants, the five domestic animals, birds, butterflies, and bats, traditional auspicious motifs such as the meander and cloud patterns, and various geometric forms composed of points, lines, planes, squares, circles, curves, and straight lines. The embroidered pieces are mostly everyday articles, such as garments, shoes, boots, purses, tobacco pouches, and insoles; they are highly practical, with lifelike and vividly true images, harmonious colors, exquisite patterns, and fine workmanship. The main materials and tools of Tushiyetu embroidery include embroidery thread, embroidery cloth, needles, scissors, embroidery pens, embroidery frames, and stretching frames; the base fabrics are corduroy, gold velvet, satin, and cotton cloth. Tushiyetu embroidery involves many process steps, including designing the pattern, tracing the draft, dyeing the thread, mounting the fabric on the frame, pinning down the draft, matching the threads, embroidering, removing the fabric from the frame, and mounting the finished piece. Over its long development, Tushiyetu embroidery has formed a great variety of stitch styles, with nine major categories and more than forty stitch types; besides satin stitch, coiling stitch, and random stitch, it also has distinctive forms of expression such as double-sided embroidery and double-sided "three differences" embroidery. Historically, Tushiyetu embroidery was passed down from generation to generation mainly through master-apprentice transmission. Tushiyetu embroidery integrates the embroidery techniques of the Han, Manchu, Tibetan, and other ethnic groups, expressing the concept of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature through bold, rugged, exaggerated handling and brilliant colors. It reflects the Mongolian people's pursuit of a better life and provides invaluable historical material for the study of Mongolian arts and crafts, clothing culture, and folk customs.
The prince's residence and its seamstresses
From the building of the prince's residence at Daqintala, completed in 1890, the craft was kept by seamstresses serving the prince and his consorts.
Nine categories and forty stitches
Over time the craft developed nine categories and more than forty stitches, including double-sided and double-sided triple-difference work.
Double-sided triple-difference embroidery
One of its most ingenious techniques: a single piece carries two images differing in colour, design and stitch.
Design, tracing, dyeing and stretching
The process runs from designing and tracing the pattern through dyeing thread, stretching the frame, stitching and mounting.
Fret and cloud patterns with livestock motifs
Motifs come from daily life and nature — flowers, livestock, birds, butterflies and bats — along with frets, cloud patterns and geometry.
Tribute and gifts among the ten Korchin banners
Its products once went as tribute to the Qing court and as gifts among the nobles of the ten Korchin banners.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Tushiyetu embroidery takes the Daiqintala area of Horqin Right Wing Middle Banner as its core and rose with the establishment of the Tushiyetu prince's residence. Historically it circulated throughout what is now Hinggan League, Horqin Left Wing Rear Banner in Tongliao City, and Gorlos Mongol Autonomous County in Jilin Province, as well as Dorbet Mongol Autonomous County in Heilongjiang Province. The Daiqintala and Bayan Khoshuu areas within the banner still preserve relatively complete systems of stitch technique and pattern repertoire.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Mongolian Embroidery · Mongolian Embroidery.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
In recent years, Horqin Right Wing Middle Banner has held more than a hundred embroidery training sessions across the twelve townships (sumu) and two mining districts of the banner, continually expanding the transmission channels of this project and striving to cultivate successors. Protecting and transmitting this cultural heritage well is of positive significance for developing the local economy, strengthening cultural confidence, and achieving cultural identity.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Midai 04-1812
- Menggenqiqige 05-2696
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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