Ancient China was known as "the land of impeccable attire," and its culture was always closely tied to the high technical level of its textile crafts. Its silk fabrics, for instance, were treasured commodities among people in other countries, and the Silk Road became a symbol of cultural interchange between East and West. At home its precious textiles spurred the development of the art of embroidery.
In the ancient Book of Documents the Emperor Shun instructs his successor, Yu: "I wish to see the signs of the ancients, the sun, moon, stars, mountains, dragons, and the flowery fowl, together with the temple vessels, aquatic grasses, fire, rice, and other embroidered decorations, emblazoned on your garments in all the five colors." His words illustrate the type of thinking that lay behind the art of embroidery in ancient times. The use of celestial bodies and aspects of nature as designs for clothing reflects the harmony and fusion of man and nature. The flowery fowl is the brightly colored pheasant, the aquatic grasses express cleanliness, fire stands for illumination, and rice represents nourishment. Together the patterns are a symbol of the moral ideal of government, of concern over the destiny of mankind and compassion for the people.
Embroidery, to the minds of the ancient Chinese, was an indispensable skill for women and a mark of feminine virtue. All sorts of objects in everyday life, including quilts, door hangings, pillow covers, stomachers, shop signs, table spreads, purses, and dramatic costumes, were embroidered with colorful designs and images.
In folk embroidery the patterns were generally auspicious in nature, representing the hopes of the common people, and square or rectangular in form, so that they could be connected and repeated without limit and cut off at any point--unlike a painting, which is confined to a certain space. Like sculpture and painting, however, embroidery designs must be suited to the location in which they are to be placed. Consequently, those for hems, hats, shoes, stomachers, and pockets are rather flat and static, while those for the body as a whole have more movement and three-dimensionality, allowing the viewer to have the satisfaction of appreciating a complete form.
The pattern shown here is called hua-liu k'ai tao, or "the spirited steed opens the way." The auspicious significance of a carriage loaded with riches and entering a gate is obvious when stitched on a purse. The bat, representing good luck, and the peonies, representing wealth and honor, have been added for good measure.
