Passing colorful threads through the eye of a needle, and making up dazzling veins or words in textiles according to the design , is what we call embroidery , which has been one of our excellent traditional craftworks.

    There were descriptions of embroidery over 4,000 years ago in China, and it had become very popular among the folk in Song Dynasty when embroidery costumes were advocated. The embroidery artworks of Western Han Period unearthed in Hubei and Hunan showed top quality ; During Tang and Song Dynasties , the embroidery fabrics, which were fashionably used for painting, drawing and decorating garments, owned high uniformity and exquisiteness as well as rich colors; With the prevalence of various styles and master embroiders the embroidery reached its peak in Ming and Qing Dynasties, when the four most famous types of embroidery---Suzhou embroidery, Yue embroidery Xiang embroidery and Shu embroidery had gained their fate.

    There are scores of needle stitches showing various characteristics .Among these, random-stitchwork , which uses stitches of different lengths and directions and seemingly random overlapping layers to achieve a better effect of tone and depth for the final work, marks the prelude to a new epoch of the development of embroidery. Besides the traditional single- and double-side embroideries, embroidery includes a wide range of other needlework as well, such as brocade-like embroidery, hair embroidery, knot embroidery,. The artists use various kinds of needlework, thread, and fabric to create vivid portraits of landscape, flowers, birds, and figures ,which are renowned for its "refinement, elegance and beauty" ." Goldfish" , "Kitty" and etc are representative pieces of embroidery.

    As a very traditional form of art, embroidery is still developing in styles and themes with the effort of contemporary artists. Exhibitions are held around the world, traditional-art-lovers are constantly astonished by the beauty and exquisiteness embroidery can achieve.