苏绣 (Sū Xiù)
Su embroidery (苏绣) is the embroidery tradition of Suzhou, Jiangsu — considered the finest of China's four great embroidery schools (Su, Shu, Xiang, Yue). Its defining technical achievement is the shuangmian xiu (double-sided embroidery) — producing embroidery that is identical and perfect on both sides of the fabric, with no knots, no loose threads, and no visible joins on either face. The double-sided technique requires that every thread passes through the fabric at precisely the correct angle so that it contributes equally to both faces — the needle entering and exiting in positions that produce the same visual result whether the work is viewed from the front or behind. Su embroidery is also renowned for its lifelike rendering of cats, fish, and landscapes using split-thread technique — silk thread split into 1/48th of its original thickness to produce graduation of impossible fineness.
Risk level: Endangered · Within China's national ICH system; Suzhou embroidery on national ICH list
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