Suzhou Embroidery 苏绣

Embroidery has a history of thousands of yearsin China， and Suzhou embroidery is considered oneof the four most renowned embroidering styles inthe country along those from Sichuan， Hunan andGuangdong. Suzhou embroidery features delicatelines， graceful colors and subjects from classicalChinese paintings， such as famous figures， flowersand birds. During the Spring and Autumn Periodsome 2，000 years ago， people from Wu Stateapplied embroidery to clothes， and thus began theorigin of Suzhou embroidery.

刺绣在中国有几千年的历史，苏州苏绣与四川蜀绣、湖南湘绣、广东粤绣被誉为我国四大名绣。苏绣具有绣工细致、色彩清雅的独特风格，通常取材于传统画作，比如名人、花鸟等。相传在2000 多年前的春秋时期，吴国（泛指江苏、浙江两省东部地区）人就开始用刺绣手法制衣，苏绣由此而来。

It was said that during the Three KingdomsPeriod （220—280）， Sun Quan， founder of the Stateof Wu， once ordered the sister of prime ministerZhao Da to embroider an atlas map with all states.During the Ming Dynasty （1368—1644）， theYangtze River Delta region became the center ofthe silk weaving industry where Suzhouembroidery， which is also called painting drawn byneedles， became popular.

相传在三国时期（220—280），吴王孙权曾命其丞相赵达之妹刺绣《列国图》。而到了明代（1368—1644），长江三角洲地区已经成为丝织业中心，苏绣盛极一时，也有了“以针作画”的美名。

Suzhou embroidery was listedas a national intangible culturalheritage of China in 2006. ZhenhuTown of Suzhou City has morethan 8，000 craftsmen of Suzhouembroidery and 400 shops andhas developed a special industryof Suzhou embroidery in recentyears with the help of localgovernment.

2006 年，苏绣列入国家级非物质文化遗产名录。如今，仅苏州镇湖就有“四百绣庄、八千绣娘”，在当地政府的帮助下苏绣近年来逐渐形成了特色产业。

Word Bank

delicate adj. 纤细的；精致的

apply v. 应用；适用

weave v. 编，织；编造