"Green Embroidery" Embroidered Between Square Inches Can Also Be Beautiful "Out Of The Circle"

The picture shows a Salar embroiderer working on embroidery. Pictures provided by Qinghai Embroidery Industry Association

Beside the Qinghai Lake and under the sun and moon mountains, there are pleasant scenes of singing and laughing among all ethnic groups, and the ecological picture of Tibetan antelope running freely on the grassland... Embroidered Qinghai elements in square inches to keep the "memory" of the city.

Qinghai is rich in national cultural resources, and xiuniang express their inheritance and love for traditional culture with needlework. The unique traditional folk handicrafts such as Tu pan embroidery, Huangzhong pile embroidery, Mongolian embroidery, Hehuang embroidery, Guinan Tibetan embroidery, Sala embroidery, Regong Art (pile embroidery) and other unique traditional folk handicrafts "green embroidery" began to glow with new vitality.

The picture shows the Tu nationality embroider mother who participated in the "green embroidery" competition. Photo by Ma Mingyan

"Green embroidery" originated from life, at first embroidered in daily necessities, production supplies. Qinghai embroidery can be divided into six categories, 17 categories and 29 kinds of needlework. The embroidery includes landscapes, flowers and birds, figures and landscapes, and the forms include jewelry, leather bags, ornaments, etc.

Selecting thread, threading needles and embroidering needles are constantly turning over at the fingertips of embroidery women, and exquisite green leaf patterns are displayed on the embroidered cloth... Located in the inheritance and protection base of Chinese green embroidery in Huangzhong District, Xining City, Qinghai Province, Tibetan embroidery Niang Xing Yingcun is busy embroidering customized patterns. A handmade product like this can embroider three or four pieces a day. "In the past, I only knew Tibetan embroidery, but now I have learned the embroidery skills of Hui, Salar and other nationalities."

The picture shows the Thangka made by Tibetan xiuniang. Photo by Ma Mingyan

Among them, the small pendant purse is very bright. The edge of the purse is embroidered with Tu's plate embroidery technique. The pattern of colorful auspicious clouds in the middle of the purse is plain embroidery. When the purse is opened, it is a pair of Tibetan antelope patterns made by pile embroidery.

"Most of the green embroidery workshops are in the countryside, and they take the form of orders. During the busy farming season, they go to harvest wheat and dig potatoes, and when they are off farm, they go to the workshops to get orders, and" at home "can increase employment and income." Chen Yuxiu, President of Qinghai women's handicraft Association, said.

The picture shows the leather embroidery of danger. Photo by Ma Mingyan

According to incomplete statistics, there are 300000 people engaged in seasonal embroidery in Qinghai Province. Since the establishment of 31 provincial "Qingxiu" intangible cultural heritage poverty alleviation and employment workshops, the accumulated sales revenue has reached 180 million yuan (RMB, the same below), directly driving more than 50000 people to work, indirectly driving more than 100000 employees, with the per capita monthly income of 2300 yuan.

At the same time, it also includes inheritance and innovation.

Su Xiaoli, the representative inheritor of national intangible cultural heritage Tu pan embroidery, is the president of Qinghai embroidery industry association. Because of her love for embroidery, she set up an embroidery company in 2015. With the help of the local government, she built the company's first "green embroidery" workshop and carried out free technical training, attracting a group of post-80s and post-90s girls to study in their hometown.

In order to increase support, cultivate industry development and expand, and develop marketing, Qinghai Province issued the "three year action plan of Qingxiu" (2021-2023) in 2020; In 2021, the "Qingxiu" digital headquarters economic platform was put into operation, and a "Qingxiu" industrial supply chain system with Haidong city as the hub, cities and prefectures linked and extending to the whole country was established.

The picture shows Xi Jinlian, a 60 year old embroiderer, making embroidery. Photo by Qi Xiujuan

"There are more orders for the" green embroidery "workshops that hitchhike, and they are sold abroad through government at all levels and promotion by overseas students." Chen Yuxiu said.

"Xiuniang also keep up with the times and actively innovate. For example, they embroidered Liuwan painted pottery patterns on pouches. During the period of epidemic prevention and control, industry associations and inheritors created anti epidemic embroideries and made epidemic prevention sachets." Su Xiaoli said that at present, nine members of the "Qingxiu" association have been employed as "think tank experts" in the Art Department of Qinghai University to give lectures on intangible cultural heritage for college students; Representative inheritors of embroidery intangible cultural heritage projects set up embroidery classes through online live broadcast; Sulonggu Embroidery Co., Ltd. and other designers at home and abroad jointly produce "Qingxiu" Guochao clothing.

The picture shows the embroidery on Mongolian costumes. Photo by Qi Xiujuan

In the past, Qing embroidery was embroidered in "boudoir", but now it has moved to "stage" embroidery, which has become a characteristic industry that complements Qinghai's "Ramen economy".

(source: China News Network)