Painting Embroidery

《周礼述注》The Notes of Rites in Zhou Dynasty says,"All kind of embroidery follows the same process-draw the image first, and then embroidering. Therefore, Huaxiu is a combination of painting and embroidering."In fact, dates back to ancient China, people have already considered the two things have something in common. ZhangYanyuan’s The Famous Paintings through the Dynasties describes that Ms. Zhao, King Wu’s wife is not only good at painting and calligraphy, but also good at using needle in embroidery handicrafts. Needles she handled just like brushes in her hands. Her brilliant use of needles in embroidering also crowned her the glory of’unparalleled needle’and’unparalleled silk making’.Huaxiu derives from painting, it tries to represent images by means of needlework. Huaxiu is closely connected with traditional embroidery. However, while the aesthetic principles of traditional embroidery is more about creation, Huaxiu is more like a kind of’replica’.The copy of traditional Chinese painting The Image of Washing Horses and world famous oil painting Mona Lisa represent the unique value of Huaxiu-it provides an opportunity to combine traditional folk arts that prevalent among Chinese women known as embroidery with mainstream culture as well as oversea cultures, moreover, it builds up a platform for people to learn different cultures and develop them at the same time. However, the reason why Huaxiu, as a folk art, not appreciated by mainstream culture is that it is more about imitation. But people have to admit that creation based on imitation, Chinese embroidery women through ages all start their work from imitation. For technology innovation and the pursuit of art, people know and practice in Huaxiu art will finally turn Huaxiu into a new face instead of simply imitating others. This paper attempts to analysis the history of Huaxiu and its own spirit, to support my own creative practice by combining and studying Huaxiu’s working progress and my own creative needlework. After combining my personal practice and audiences’experience together, this paper will illustrate the inevitable choice why I attempt to use this traditional handicraft skill to express my own feeling.