Hang Embroidery

Often referred to as“Hang embroidery”，Hangzhou’s special brand of embroidery has its roots in the Southern Song Dynasty.To be more exact，in the dynasty’s heyday，embroidery was divided into two parts:court embroidery，which provided all sorts of clothing to the imperial family，and folk embroidery，which produced official uniforms，quilt covers，and wall-hangings.With many different methods and a unique style，most patterns stem from stylizations of folk life and traditions.Also，as Hangzhou was a city of rich religious tradition，religious works played their part.The Lotus Sutra，made by two female Buddhists from 1355 to 1361 and considered a masterpiece，can be found in the Shanghai Museum today.In the Song Dynasty，embroidery workshops mainly employed male workers.It became tradition to leave the industry to the men but that the handicraft could only be passed down to daughter-in-laws instead of daughters，which remained in practice until the period of Republic of China.Due to the prosperity of the silk industry，from the Song Dynasty to the Ming and Qing dynasties，Hangzhou was the main producer of embroidery for the nation.

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