Although it is difficult to pin down when embroidery was first practiced in China, archaeological findings indicate that the earliest surviving embroidery dates back at least to the Warring States period (403--221 b.c.). From its earliest beginnings up through the Sui, Tang, and Five Dynasties (a.d. 581--960), embroidery was primarily used in China as a functional decoration, e.g. as adornment for clothes or shoes. It was not until the Song Dynasty (960--1279) that it was elevated to the realm of pure art. The craft was fused with the art of painting by following the style and compositions of Chinese brush painting, and actual copies were made of works by famous painters. The embroidery created by replicating a painting sometimes looked even more lovely and eye-catching than the original painting, because the beauty of the embroidery was enhanced by the sheen and effulgence of silk, the elegant filament usually used to make embroidery.

As time went by and progress was made in skills, materials, and concepts, embroidery attained higher levels of virtuosity. According to Qiu Zai-xing (邱再興), a Taiwanese collector of Chinese embroidery, the art reached its pinnacle between 1950 and 1990. "This can be ascribed to the following three factors: the replacement of bone and bamboo needles by much finer stainless steel needles; the advancement of dyeing techniques, which made the colors of dyed silk more refined and varied; and--this third factor had to do with the social conditions of the time--the rule of the Chinese Communists." Elaborating on the third factor, Qiu observed that because between 1950 and 1990 the livelihoods of the Chinese people were supported by the Communist government, professional embroiderers did not have to worry about how to provide for themselves, and so they could lavish time on creating the most exquisite pieces (a refined piece of embroidery can take as long as several years to finish). Many pieces of embroidery, delicate in their finest details, were created during the time. "We can say that the works produced in that period outshine those created in any other historical period," said Qiu.

Qiu has been collecting Chinese embroidery for 15 years, over which time he has amassed more than 400 pieces from Guangdong, Hunan, Sichuan, and Suzhou, the four traditional embroidery centers in China. In order to give more people the chance to view his collected items, an exhibition showcasing more than 100 pieces of his collection was recently staged at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei. Running from December 30, 2005, to February 28, 2006, the exhibition attracted many people to appreciate and marvel at this art form, which has a long-standing history in China. The extremely fine craftsmanship and high artistry demonstrated in the works shown at the exhibition opened the eyes of the visitors, and many of them oohed and aahed with exclamations such as: "This is marvelous! Incredible!" Stitches were so finely and skillfully applied that viewers could easily be fooled into thinking they were looking at a painting instead of a piece of embroidery.

Among the items on display were many double-sided pieces of embroidery with the same or different images on each side. This kind of embroidery, executed on transparent sheets of woven silk or other material, requires silk thread much finer than the ordinary--sometimes a thread as thin as a hair split into 4, 16, or even 32 strands. The finished product can be appreciated from both sides with the same excellent effect. What is most miraculous about this embroidery is that by applying a single stitch, an embroiderer can create two different images of different colors on the two sides of a fabric. The technique is extremely complicated and is believed to exist only in China.

At the exhibition site, Wang Yu-hui (王玉輝), 52, a master embroiderer from Hunan Province, China, could be seen demonstrating her skills. Wang, whose specialty is double-sided embroidery, has been practicing her art for 34 years. She first learned from her aunt at the age of 18. Then she entered an embroidery school to further improve her skills. After two years at the school, she was selected for the Hunan Embroidery Research Institute. In addition to embroidery and stitching techniques, she also studied painting at the institute. She says that if an embroiderer wants to refine and elevate her skills, it is best that she studies painting, because although painting and embroidery are two different art forms, they also share some similarities. For an embroiderer, a needle is like a brush and silk thread like paint; in much the same way that a painter wields a brush, an embroiderer creates beautiful images via her needlework skills.

Wu explains that in the execution of embroidery, a design or image is first transferred by skilled painters to a fabric stretched taut on a frame. Then the embroiderer decides what stitches to employ (more than 100 have been developed) and what color threads to use to best achieve the effect of the designs. The most challenging part lies in reproducing the image to perfection in every detail. In the process of embroidering, the artist has to refer to the original design or painting from time to time to make sure she or he is reproducing it satisfactorily. It takes a tremendous amount of time, energy, and patience to produce a single work. Take the piece Wang is currently working on--she estimates that it will take two years to finish.

With more than 30 years of experience in embroidering behind her, Wang says, "Whether you'll be able to produce high-quality embroidery does not depend on the number of years you've spent studying the art, but on whether you have wholeheartedly and diligently applied yourself." She says that she has been able to master the art because she never stopped honing her skills. She learns from other master embroiderers, and she always humbly accepts criticism from others because criticism helps her to make improvements.

The sidebars on the following pages depict pieces from Qiu's embroidery exhibition. Readers will have the chance to admire the consummate skill and virtuosity evident in all of them.