On June 18, 2026, the China National Silk Museum (CNSM) in Hangzhou opened Embroidery Beauty of Zhejiang, the second installment of its “Warp and Weft” textile and apparel ICH series. The exhibition, running through November 16, presents nearly twenty Zhejiang embroidery and drawnwork intangible cultural heritage (ICH) projects in one of the largest concentrated displays of the province’s embroidery heritage in recent years.
Nearly Twenty ICH Embroidery Styles Under One Roof
The exhibition is housed on the first floor of CNSM’s Sericulture Hall, focusing exclusively on embroidery and drawnwork ICH items within Zhejiang Province. As one of China’s original silk-producing regions, the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou area has long been known as the “Land of Silk.” Zhejiang has consistently ranked among the top provinces nationally for ICH protection, and its embroidery and drawnwork traditions have benefited from comprehensive preservation efforts.
The exhibition features an extensive range of embroidery styles: Hangzhou embroidery (hand-stitched), Hangzhou machine embroidery, Xiaoshan lace craftsmanship, Ningbo gold and silver thread embroidery, Taizhou embroidery, Ouzhou embroidery (Ou embroidery), Wenzhou hair embroidery, Jinhua Wuzhou embroidery, Putuo embroidery art, and nearly a dozen more. Additional pieces represent Hangzhou Hecun embroidered shoe-making, Badu hemp embroidery, Pujiang cross-stitch, Wenzhou cross-stitch lace, Jiaxing Honghe embroidery, Hongxing embroidery, Tongxiang calendar bag embroidery, and She ethnic embroidery. Over one hundred embroidered works are on display, rooted in folk traditions yet infused with contemporary innovation.
Among the many styles showcased, Su embroidery stands as the most internationally renowned. Originating in the Wuxian area of Suzhou over 2,500 years ago, Su embroidery is celebrated for eight defining qualities: flatness, evenness, fineness, density, uniformity, smoothness, harmony, and brightness. In 2006, it was inscribed on China’s first national ICH list.
The technical mastery of Su embroidery lies in its extraordinary precision. Its needlework system encompasses dozens of techniques, including straight stitch, satin stitch, seed stitch, long-and-short stitch, couching stitch, and gold thread embroidery. Double-sided embroidery is Su embroidery’s most iconic technique — the embroiderer creates identical patterns on both sides of a single fabric layer, viewable from either direction, earning it the reputation of “a miracle at the needle’s tip.” The Suzhou Embroidery Research Institute once set a record of splitting a single silk thread into 128 strands, demonstrating the extreme refinement of the craft.
At the “Xiu Mei Zhi Jiang” exhibition, Su embroidery pieces featuring flowers, birds, and landscapes sit alongside works from other Zhejiang embroidery schools, presenting a diverse panorama of Jiangnan embroidery art. Hangzhou embroidery, which served as imperial court embroidery during the Song Dynasty, complements Su embroidery with its rigorous and ornate “court embroidery” style.
Song Empress Ceremonial Robe to International Luxury Brands
One of the exhibition’s standout pieces is a replica of the ceremonial robe of Empress Yang of Emperor Ningzong of the Song Dynasty — a piece that traces Su embroidery’s journey from historical restoration to modern fashion. The robe was jointly advanced by CNSM and academic institutions, with the embroidery work carried out by Zou Xieying’s team from Tong’an Town, Suzhou High-Tech Zone.
Zou Xieying told Suzhou Daily that her team initially had only a traditional painting and limited visual references to work from. Pattern arrangement, density control, needle placement, and detail treatment all required extensive research into ancient texts, image comparisons, and craft experience. The finished robe features a deep navy base with wide sleeves and crossed collars, uniformly decorated with pheasant patterns and medallion motifs. The collar edges, front placket, and hem are trimmed with bright red woven borders accented with gold patterns — dignified yet magnificent.
Beyond historical restoration, Zou Xieying’s workshop is deeply engaged with the contemporary fashion industry. Her client roster includes Chinese brands such as Yaying, V-GRASS, and Langzi, as well as international luxury houses like Dior. The workshop — employing around 300 steady embroiderers and expanding to surrounding towns during peak seasons — focuses exclusively on the most technically demanding embroidery segments: embroidery panel development, pattern design, and key decorative elements.
“The Neo-Chinese trend is hot, traditional elements are hot, but truly translating them into garments requires more than just ‘liking’ them,” Zou Xieying said. “Many brand designers love traditional Chinese patterns but don’t know where to start. What our workshop does is translate traditional language into a fashion language that still works today.”
Zhejiang’s Regional Embroidery Map
The exhibition reveals the distinctive regional character of Zhejiang’s embroidery landscape. Beyond Su embroidery’s dominance in southern Jiangsu, the province’s native schools each have unique identities:
Ningbo Gold and Silver Thread Embroidery is known for wrapping and couching gold and silver threads to create opulent effects, commonly used in opera costumes and religious items. It was added to the national ICH extended list in 2011.
Ou Embroidery from Wenzhou is one of Zhejiang’s “Three Embroideries” alongside Hangzhou and Ningbo embroidery. Known for varied needlework and refined composition, it excels in portrait embroidery. Ou embroidery was listed as a national ICH in 2008.
Taizhou Embroidery specializes in “carved flat embroidery,” blending traditional techniques with Western drawnwork to create distinctive openwork patterns. Its products are primarily exported.
Wenzhou Hair Embroidery uses natural human hair as thread, utilizing its natural black, white, gray, and yellow tones for artistic expression. It has been hailed as “a unique art of the East.”
Xiaoshan Lace emerged from the fusion of Venetian lace techniques with local cross-stitch traditions. Known for its “ten-thousand-thread” lace, its products reach over 60 countries and regions.
Su Embroidery and Neo-Chinese Fashion
In 2026, the surging Neo-Chinese consumer trend is driving traditional embroidery crafts from decorative art toward fashion consumer goods. Zou Xieying’s workshop exemplifies this shift — moving from “sample processing” to integrated design, development, and production. The workshop’s position in the fashion supply chain has migrated significantly upstream, from pure manufacturing toward design and R&D.
Industry data shows China’s high-end embroidery custom market growing at over 15% annually, with Su embroidery claiming the largest share. The Yangtze River Delta region concentrates more than 60% of the country’s embroidery workshops and studios. Custom prices for premium Su embroidery range from several thousand to hundreds of thousands of yuan, with a single fine Su embroidery qipao typically requiring three to six months to complete.
“On one side is the most traditional, on the other side is the Western, and with our understanding added in between, the result is unique,” Zou Xieying said — a fitting summary of Su embroidery’s contemporary survival strategy: reaching into history while growing toward fashion’s frontier.