Since ancient times, Sichuan has had beautiful landscapes and plentiful products. The people have developed a folk art, Sichuan embroidery, which includes pastel shades and an elegant, exquisite and carefree style.
Sichuan embroidery is one of China's four most famous branches of embroidery, the others being Jiangsu, Hunan and Guangdong. Having formed its unique graceful bearing with its bright, clear colors and the style of Chinese-ink paintings, Sichuan embroidery has been honored as being "an art jewel of the Orient."
The embroidery is mainly produced in Chengdu, Chongqing, Wenjiang and Pixian and has a long history. The imperial government of the Han Dynasty set up an office in Chengdu to manage it. By the Song Dynasty, Sichuan embroidery made fast progress and was becoming more refined each day. A hanging scroll of Sichuan embroidery during this time, which exists to this day, is very exquisite and refined. Already, specialized production of Sichuan embroidery had developed in the Qing Dynasty. In Chengdu City many embroidery shops, where great painters and embroidery masters assembled, exquisite embroidery was being produced in large numbers, and Sichuan embroidery was honored as being "objects without equals in the world."
