Chinese embroidery originated more than 3,000 years ago. According to legend, there was a smart and beautiful girl in Suzhou in ancient times who was rushing to make a new dowry before getting married. During the making process, she accidentally poked a hole in her skirt. She quickly embroidered a small flower with colorful velvet, which not only covered up the hole, but also made it look extra beautiful, which was the icing on the cake. After the first inspiration, smart Suzhou people began to like wearing embroidered clothes. According to "Shuo Yuan" written by Liu Xiang of the Western Han Dynasty, as early as the Spring and Autumn Period, Wu people began to apply embroidery technology to beautify their lives. By the Three Kingdoms period, Su embroidery had developed to a high level. It is said that during the Three Kingdoms period, Mrs. Zhao used her expertise in both painting and embroidery to create a "painting embroidery" for Sun Quan, which was called "unparalleled needlework" by people at the time. As a result, Mrs. Zhao became the originator of "painting and embroidery".
The article on embroidery can be found in Shangshu. At the time of Yu and Shun, there was already embroidery. In the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, officials were set up to perform their duties, and in the Han Dynasty, there were palace embroidery. Wu Sunquan of the Three Kingdoms sent Mrs. Zhao to embroider the terrain and military formations of mountains and rivers. In the first year of Tang Yongzhen (AD 805), Lu Meiniang embroidered seven volumes of the Lotus Sutra on ruler silk. She was famous for her embroidery and can be seen in the former records. Since the Han Dynasty, embroidery has gradually become a unique art among women, and famous embroiderers have also occupied a place in the history of art.
They are two pieces of embroidery unearthed from Chu tombs in Changsha, Hunan during the Warring States Period. Judging from the needlework, it is completely embroidered on silk and Luo with braided stitches (i.e. lock embroidery). The stitches are neat, the colors are elegant, and the lines are smooth. The patterns of dragons and phoenixes dancing, tigers and auspicious animals are natural, vivid and lively. It is powerful and fully demonstrates the achievements of Chu State's embroidery art. Embroidery from the Han Dynasty has been unearthed in Thousand Buddha Cave in Dunhuang, Wuluchong Tomb in Hebei Province, northern Inner Mongolia, and the Astana North Tomb in Turpan, Xinjiang. In particular, a large number of various types and complete works were unearthed in Mawangdui, Changsha in 1972. The embroidery is more helpful to understand the embroidery style of the Han Dynasty. Judging from these embroideries, the themes of Han embroidery patterns are mostly wavy cloud patterns, soaring phoenixes, galloping mythical beasts, as well as ribbon patterns and geometric patterns commonly seen in Han mirror decorations. The new basic materials used for embroidery were fabrics that were popular at the time, such as silk and brocade woven with auspicious words such as "Prolong life and prosper for future generations" and "Longevity and Brightness". The main technique is lock embroidery, which fills the pattern with a tight composition, neat stitches and extremely smooth lines.
, unearthed in Dunhuang, Gansu, Hotan, Bachu, Turpan and other places in Xinjiang. The fragments of embroidery seen are all embroidered with fine lock embroidery, regardless of the pattern or blank space. Embroidered features. The embroidery handed down and unearthed from the Tang Dynasty is closely related to the religious art of the Tang Dynasty. There are many Tang embroidered Buddha statues, such as the embroidered tent and the Sakyamuni preaching on the Eagle Mountain in the British Museum, which was found in the Thousand Buddha Cave in Dunhuang, Japan. The pictures of Sakyamuni's sermons in the Nara National Museum are directly related to the belief in the prosperity of the Buddha. At this time, the embroidery techniques still followed the lock embroidery of the Han Dynasty, but the stitching methods began to change to mainly flat embroidery, and a variety of different stitching methods and various colored threads were used. The embroidery base materials used are not limited to brocade and plain silk. The patterns used in embroidery are closely related to painting. In addition to Buddhist figures, landscapes, flowers and birds also gradually flourished in Tang Dynasty paintings. Therefore, Buddhist figures, landscapes, pavilions, flowers and birds have also become embroidery patterns, with lively compositions and bright colors. The use of fine flat embroidery techniques, the use of various colored threads and stitching techniques, instead of painting using pigments, forms a special art, which is also the unique style of Tang embroidery. As for the use of gold and silver threads to coil the outline of the pattern to enhance the three-dimensional effect of the object, it can be regarded as an innovation of embroidery in the Tang Dynasty.
Mostly for practical and decorative purposes, the embroidery content is related to daily needs and customs. The embroidery works of the Song Dynasty were not only practical products, but also devoted to embroidery. Since the Jin and Tang Dynasties, literati and officials have been fond of calligraphy and painting. Calligraphy and painting were the highest artistic expressions at that time. In the Song Dynasty, silk embroidery was also used. The style of calligraphy and painting directly affected the style of embroidery. There should be an inseparable relationship between embroidery and painting in all eras from the past dynasties to the Qing Dynasty.
Embroidery music: Li Zhengfan Lyrics: Xia Ning, Li Zhengfan
Embroidery
Listen to the wind blowing away the fallen leaves and lower your head
The longing gently passes through the dust of the past dreams
Locked in the ancient courtyard and opened the door of my heart
No trace of you
Hands Holding the embroidery tightly can't make the stream flow
I feel so sad that my eyes are filled with tears
Old lovers have a deep love for each other
Time and space change and we are alone. Smile
I am missing you to tell me my feelings
Cut the breeze and paste old dreams
I quietly listen to you and your years are like water
Looking at I am in the evening drum and morning bell
Do you understand the embroidery
Shrink the cold winter and clear the sky
I smell the flowers and hope that when you look back, the magnificence of the road will still be the same
The dream of flying together has long been embroidered in the wind
my country's folk paper-cut handicraft art has its own formation and development process. The invention of paper in my country was in the Western Han Dynasty BC (the 6th century BC ), at that time people used thin sheet materials to make handicrafts through hollow carving techniques. However, they were already popular before the advent of paper. That is, the techniques of carving, engraving, ticking, engraving, and shearing were used on gold foil, leather, silk, and even silk. Cut and carve patterns on the leaves. "Historical Records" records that in the early Western Zhou Dynasty, King Cheng cut sycamore leaves into "Gui" as a gift to his younger brother, and granted Ji Yu the title of Marquis in the Tang Dynasty. During the Warring States Period, leather carvings were used (one of the cultural relics unearthed from Chu Tomb No. 1 in Jianglingwangshan, Hubei Province), and silver foil hollow carvings (one of the cultural relics unearthed from the Warring States Period site in Guwei Village, Huixian County, Henan Province) were both used together with paper-cutting. Their appearance laid a certain foundation for the formation of folk paper-cutting. The earliest paper-cut works discovered in my country were two group-flower paper-cuts discovered in 1967 in the Astana Ancient Northern Dynasty tombs near the Gaochang site in Turpan Basin, Xinjiang. , they used linen paper, which were all folded sacrificial paper-cuts. Their discovery provided physical evidence for the formation of paper-cuts in our country. The history of the handicraft art of paper-cutting, that is, paper-cutting in the true sense, should begin with the emergence of paper. The invention of paper in the Han Dynasty promoted the emergence, development and popularization of paper-cutting. Paper is a material that can easily become moldy. The climate in southeastern my country is humid, and the local rainy days in May and June every year will cause paper products to become moldy over time. And folk paper-cutting is a popular thing. People don't keep them like treasures, and if they break them, they can cut them again. In the northwestern region of my country, there is little rain and a dry climate, so paper is not prone to mildew. This may also be one of the important reasons why Northern Dynasties paper-cutting was discovered in Turpan, Xinjiang. Paper-cutting was already in a period of great development in the Tang Dynasty. In Du Fu's poem, there is a sentence: "Warm water washes my feet, paper-cutting summons my soul." The custom of using paper-cutting to summon souls has been spread among the people at that time. From the Tang Dynasty paper-cuttings now in the British Museum, it can be seen that the level of paper-cutting craftsmanship at that time was extremely high, and the composition of the picture was complete, expressing an ideal state of heaven and earth. Jie was popular in the Tang Dynasty, and its carved woodblock patterns had the characteristics of paper-cutting. For example, the "Duoyang" in Shosoin, Japan, whose sheep pattern is a typical expression technique of paper-cutting handcraft art. In the Tang Dynasty, people also used stencil printing plates made in the form of paper-cutting. People carved patterns from thick paper and printed dye onto cloth to form beautiful patterns. The papermaking industry in the Song Dynasty was mature and there were many types of paper products, which provided conditions for the popularization of paper-cutting. Such as "fireworks" as folk gifts, "window flowers" affixed to windows, or used for decoration of lanterns and tea cups. The application scope of folk paper-cutting gradually expanded in the Song Dynasty. Jiangxi Jizhou Kiln used paper-cutting as a pattern for ceramics, and made the ceramics more exquisite through glazing and firing. Folks also used paper-cutting in the form of using the skins, skins, and other materials of animals such as donkeys, cows, horses, and sheep. The figures are carved into the figures of the shadow puppet show; the engraving plate made by the blue calico technique is carved with oil cardboard to form patterns, and the pattern pattern of the squeegee printing is based on the paper-cutting technique, which can be divided into Yin and Yang carvings, and long lines must be cut. Use points to distinguish reality from reality. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the handicraft art of paper-cutting matured and reached its heyday. The application scope of folk paper-cut handicrafts is even wider. The floral decorations on folk lanterns, the patterns on fans, and embroidery patterns, etc., are all made of paper-cut as decoration and then processed. What's more, Chinese people often use paper-cutting as home decorations to beautify the home environment, such as door stacks, window flowers, cabinet flowers, wedding flowers, ceiling flowers, etc. are all paper-cutting used to decorate doors, windows, and rooms. In addition to the paper-tying craftsmen who appeared after the Southern Song Dynasty, the most basic team of Chinese folk paper-cut craftsmen are still rural women. Nvhong is an important symbol of traditional female perfection in our country. As the compulsory skill of nvhong, paper-cutting has become a handicraft that girls must learn from an early age. They learn paper-cutting patterns from their elders or sisters, and through pre-cutting, re-cutting, and drawing-cutting, they depict the natural scenes they are familiar with and love, such as fish, insects, birds, beasts, flowers, plants, trees, pavilions, bridges, and scenery, and finally reach the state of whatever they want. , cut out new patterns at will. The Chinese folk paper-cut handicraft art is like an ivy, ancient and evergreen. Its unique popularity, practicality and aesthetics have become a symbolic meaning that meets the psychological needs of the people.
As early as the Han and Tang Dynasties, it was the custom for folk women to cut gold and silver foil and colorful silk into square shapes, and paste flowers and birds on their temples as decorations. Later, it gradually developed. During festivals, colored paper is used to cut various flowers, plants, animals or story characters, and affixed to windows (called "window flowers"), door lintels (called "door tags") as decorations, and also as gift decorations or For embroidery patterns. The art of paper-cutting has a long history and has been widely recorded in ancient poetry books: 1. In the poems passed down by Cui Daorong of the Tang Dynasty, there are such words: "If you want to cut the word Yichun, people in the cold spring use scissors." The "Yichun post" mentioned here ”, which is now known as paper-cutting. 2. Li Shangyin of the Tang Dynasty wrote a poem called "Ren Yue": "The work of carving gold spreads the customs of Jing Dynasty, and cutting the ribbon brings the style of Jin to people." Ribbon cutting is also paper cutting. 3. Duan Chengshi's "Youyang Zazu" of the Tang Dynasty said: "On the first day of spring, in the homes of scholar-bureaucrats, paper cuts are made into small pans, which are either hung on the heads of beauties, or decorated under flowers, or cut into spring butterflies. Spring wins. " 4. "Zhiyatang Poetry Miscellaneous Notes" written by Zhou Mi of the Southern Song Dynasty wrote: "In the old capital, there are people who cut various colors and patterns, and there are Yu Chengzhi in the Central Plains who cut letters from various families. Characters are very specialized. Later, there were young people who were able to cut characters and flowers on their sleeves with great precision. This is the "Kaifeng" mansion, and "cutting patterns" naturally refers to "paper-cutting". 5. The Chronicle of Jiande County, Guangzhou: "Lin Wenhui has a neat character outline. He cuts paper into characters. He flies like a dragon and a snake. His points are exactly the same. He decorates the house like a shaft and earns rice to support himself. People call him scissors." Folk paper-cutting is good at combining a variety of objects and producing ideal and beautiful results. Regardless of the combination of one or more images, they are all modeled "with the meaning of the image" and "with the image of the image", rather than based on the objective natural form. At the same time, they are good at using Bixing techniques to create a variety of mascots. , combining conventional images to express one's own psychology. The pursuit of auspicious metaphors has become one of the ultimate goals of image combination. The main reason why folk paper-cutting can be spread widely for a long time is the performance function of receiving blessings and welcoming auspiciousness. Regional isolation and cultural limitations, as well as the intrusion of adversities such as natural disasters, have inspired people's desire for a happy and happy life. People pray for abundant food and clothing, prosperity, health and longevity, and all the best. Such simple wishes are conveyed through paper-cutting. The folk paper-cut "Deer and Crane Spring Together" is a traditional folk theme pattern. According to records, the crane is the "black bird", and the black bird is the general term for "migratory birds". In folk culture, deer are called "migratory animals" and cranes are called "migratory birds". Deer and crane spring together, which is a symbol of spring and life. Among the folk, deer and crane have the same pronunciation, and crane is regarded as a big bird of longevity. Therefore, deer and crane together have the meaning of blessing, fortune and longevity. In the context of relatively low productivity in civil society, human labor has become the guarantee of survival, and getting rid of the pain of illness and death is people's eternal ideal. Folk paper-cutting expresses the desire for life in various forms, protects life, praises life, expresses the joy of life, and the worship of life has become people's devout belief. "Eagle Stepping on Rabbit" is one of the favorite flowers for folk weddings. It is also a traditional pattern and is widely spread among the people. Eagle means "yang", the same as chicken, bird and crow. In folk deification, the sun is called the "three-legged bird", and among the people, the sun is called the "crow". Rabbit means "yin". Folks call the moon rabbit. The eagle stepping on the rabbit is a metaphor for the love between men and women, reflecting the theme of fertility worship. The common tent flowers and happy flowers in folk paper-cutting express the worship and pursuit of the reproduction and reproduction of life in a metaphorical way. There are many paper-cut works with themes such as "Buckle Bowl", "Hun Doll", "Fish and Lotus", etc. The concept of praying for life gives folk paper-cutting inexhaustible blood and vigorous vitality. The creators of paper-cutting always have a firm and optimistic belief and endless hope when it comes to wealth and happiness. Paper-cutting is the external manifestation of their ideal of creating a better life. Folk paper-cutting integrates these auspicious meanings into various ethnic affairs activities to meet the spiritual and psychological needs of the general public, to support human survival and enrich human life. In folk paper-cutting, we can see many pictures that reflect production and life. These works have one biggest similarity, which is the exaggeration of the subject, such as big fish, big peppers, big silkworms, big grains, etc., through With paper-cutting, people make up beautiful images; to comfort their souls, to publicize man's great creativity in conquering nature, in order to build their own ideal world, to affirm man's strength, and to inspire people to have the courage to continue fighting. The expressive language of folk paper-cutting is not a simple straightforward narrative, but a message to express things, borrowing those conventional conceptual images to express people's yearning for a better life and their expectations for good fortune and happiness. All kinds of simple, grotesque and frank and beautiful paper-cut shapes come from the original visual way of thinking and folk aesthetic concepts; from the unique modeling system composed of formulaic system and imagery; from China's original philosophy and world view, and more It has touching artistic charm.