Silk Embroidery
2 min readEmbroidery，a folk art with a long tradition，occupies an important position in the history of Chinese arts and crafts.It is，in its long development，inseparable from silkworm-raising，silk-reeling and weaving.
China is the first country in the world to discover the use of silk.Silkworms were domesticated as early as 5，000 years ago.The production of silk thread and fabrics gave rise to the art of embroidery.According to The Book of History，the“regulations on costumes”of 4，000 years ago stipulated among other things”dresses and skirts with designs and embroideries.”This is evidence that embroidery had become an established art by that remote time.
In 1958，a piece of silk was found in a tomb of the state of Chu in the Warring Sates Period.
It is embroidered with a dragon-and-phoenix design.It is the earliest piece of Chinese embroidery that has been unearthed.
The art became widespread during the Han Dynasty.The famous Silk Road to the Middle East and Europe started under the great traveler Zhang Qian（164-114BC），which started from Chang’an，across Middle Asia，South Asia and West Asia.Many countries of Asia and Europe were connected thereafter.Chinese silk was highly prized among the wealthy of theancient Roman Empire，and many discoveries of embroidery finds date back to that period.8Today，silk embroidery is practiced nearly all over China.The best commercial products，it is generally agreed，come from four provinces:Jiangsu（notably Suzhou），Hunan，Sichuan and Guangdong，each with its own distinctive features.
