“Xiabu embroidery, also known as Gan embroidery and linen embroidery, is rooted in the embroidery work of linen embroidery…” Not long ago, young volunteers from Jiangxi Nanchang Institute of Technology came to Xinyu City to experience and learn the intangible cultural heritage linen embroidery. At the Xinyu Xiabu Embroidery Museum, the staff explained the history of Xinyu Xiabu Embroidery to them. The pieces of ink embroidery on cloth, folk embroidery, and linen embroidery cultural and creative products displayed here tell the story of the inheritance of this ancient folk skill.

“Xiabu is called linen and ramie in the local dialect. It originated from the Northern Song Dynasty and spread among the people of Jiangxi.” Zhang Xiaohong, the representative inheritor of the Xiabu embroidery intangible cultural heritage project, said that over the years, Xinyu has improved Xinyu fabrics by improving the embroidery skills of their ancestors on the basis of protecting and inheriting the embroidery skills of their ancestors. Processing techniques, innovative embroidery stitches, etc., gradually upgraded folk linen embroidery to linen art embroidery, and continued to develop trendy linen embroidery products, making it one of the most representative tourism products in Xinyu. “The skills of our ancestors must not only be passed down alive, but also carried forward,” Zhang Xiaohong said.

In 2014, Xiabu embroidery was included in the fourth batch of national intangible cultural heritage representative projects. In 2019, “Xinyu Xiabu Embroidery” was awarded the Chinese Geographical Indication Trademark.

“In the past, the texture of linen was stiff, and it was not easy to create exquisite works on such fabric.” Zhang Xiaohong said that after the linen is softened and the hardness is reduced, the cloth pattern will become distinct, rough and simple, with a natural history. A sense of age. The linen treated with this process not only retains the natural texture beauty, but also solves the material problem of “linen embroidery and poor foundation”. In addition, with special stitching techniques such as transparent bottom stitch, transparent random stitch, sesame stitch, bas-relief stitch, one-velvet two-color and layered stitch that are suitable for linen, it also makes linen embroidery as elegant as an ink painting.