Editor's Note: This article is produced in collaboration with the Chongqing Institute of Foreign Studies as part of a series of ongoing reports exploring the city's abundant resources in intangible cultural heritages.

Qiongyuan Embroidery. 

With thread as ink and needle as brush, Qiongyuan embroidery weaves a unique charm with every delicate stitch. As an indispensable branch of Shu embroidery, Qiongyuan embroidery is not only a brilliant pearl among Chongqing's time-honored brands but also a treasure that carries the city's profound culture and historical memory. Every stitch and thread seems to whisper the stories of Chongqing.

Qiongyuan embroidery has been passed down through the family in a “mother-to-daughter” tradition, from Liu Xianqiong to Feng Zuxiu to Shan Daqiong. Handed down through generations, it has preserved both the purity of its techniques and the continuity of its heritage. The current inheritor, Shan Daqiong, has not only mastered the family’s embroidery skills but also learned from many masters, absorbing their strengths to form her own distinctive style. She is committed to promoting this intangible cultural heritage of Shu embroidery while daring to innovate—constantly exploring new products and themes, skillfully combining tradition with modernity so that Qiongyuan embroidery retains its classic charm while radiating a fashionable, contemporary appeal.

Qiongyuan embroidery inherits the essence of Shu embroidery while pioneering its own unique stitching techniques. From design to completion, a fine Qiongyuan embroidery piece goes through several key stages: mounting the fabric, outlining the draft, selecting threads, embroidering, and removing the finished work from the frame. In the process, it draws on more than 120 Shu embroidery stitches, such as the shading stitch, spreading stitch, rolling stitch, connecting stitch, blending stitch, sand stitch, and fur stitch. Qiongyuan embroidery has also developed the innovative “cross stitch,” giving its works a vivid, three-dimensional quality and a distinctive artistic style.

While preserving its heritage, Qiongyuan embroidery continues to innovate. It now extends beyond traditional landscapes, flowers, birds, and figures by incorporating modern elements, making the art more relevant to contemporary life and appealing to younger generations. It is no longer confined to traditional forms like hanging scrolls and screens; instead, it is integrated into modern daily necessities, creating a range of products that combine artistic and practical value and breathing new life into the art of embroidery.

Every stitch and thread weaves a tapestry of tradition and innovation. With each delicate stitch, Qiongyuan embroidery inherits and evolves, crafting a landscape of cultural richness and artistic splendor.

Chinese script: Zhou Qin

Tutored by: Chen Fangyi

Translation: Su Yi

Tutored by: Wei Jinjun, Tu Qingqing