Boli embroidery is a traditional art project in the sixth batch of representative projects of municipal intangible cultural heritage in Huai'an. Historical evolution and distribution Embroidery, known as "黹" and "针黹" in ancient times, is a traditional craft that uses embroidery needles to lead colored threads to embroider the designed patterns on textiles, and uses embroidery marks to form patterns. Therefore, it is an important part of "women's red". Embroidery is one of the oldest handicrafts in China, with a history of more than 2,000 years. According to the "Book of Shang", the system of clothing more than 4,000 years ago stipulated that "clothes are painted and skirts are embroidered". Officials were set up in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty to specialize in this job, and there are records of "embroidery and weaving are common duties". In the pre-Qin literature, there are also records of using cinnabar to dye silk threads and embroidering vermilion patterns on plain white clothes, as well as the so-called "plain clothes embroidered with vermilion", "衮衣embroidered skirts", and "黻衣embroidered skirts". At that time, there was both embroidery and painting, and there was also a practice of embroidering patterns first and then filling in colors. The embroidery works unearthed in Hubei and Hunan during the Warring States Period and the Han Dynasty were of high quality. Embroidery in the Tang and Song dynasties was fine and colorful, and it was popular to use embroidery for calligraphy and painting, as well as for ornaments. In the Ming Dynasty, Dong Qichang's "Secret Records of Yunqingxuan" recorded: "The embroidery of the Song people was fine and dense, with only one or two strands of velvet and needles as thin as hair, and the colors were exquisite and dazzling. The landscape was divided into the interest of distance, the pavilions had a profound body, the figures had a vivid feeling of looking out, and the flowers and birds were extremely graceful. The best ones were better than paintings, and the three interests were all present, and the ten fingers were like spring breeze. This is the best." It roughly explains the characteristics of Song embroidery. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the scale of court embroidery in the feudal dynasty was very large. At the same time, folk embroidery also developed further, and Suzhou embroidery, Guangdong embroidery, Long embroidery, Hunan embroidery, and Shu embroidery were successively produced, known as the "Five Famous Embroideries". There are dozens of needle methods, including straight needles, set needles, piercing needles, long and short needles, dotting needles, flat gold, and poking sand, which are rich and colorful, each with its own characteristics. During this period, folk embroidery in Boli Town, Huai'an District and other areas was also relatively developed, and has been passed down to this day and has lasted for a long time. Basic content and characteristics Boli embroidery draws on a wide range of materials, including flowers, animals, figures, landscapes, calligraphy, etc. Embroidery products are divided into two categories: one is practical products, including quilt covers, pillowcases, embroidered clothes, costumes, table carpets, cushions, etc.; the other is appreciation products, including table screens, hanging scrolls, screens, etc. Techniques include cross-stitching, needlework, flat embroidery, three-dimensional embroidery, random needle embroidery, wrong needle and mixed thread embroidery, applique embroidery, etc., continuing the traditional Chinese folk composition rules of "peeling layers, alternating between sparse and dense, sparse enough to run horses, and dense enough to be airtight". The points, lines and surfaces in the graphics are organically coordinated, and triangles, rhombuses, squares and circles are alternately interspersed. The embroidery style has a strong national and regional characteristics. Boli embroidery is an outstanding representative of folk art in Huai'an, with rich patterns and unique techniques. It has important reference value for studying the clothing crafts, social changes and cultural history in Huai'an. Today, Boli embroidery has become a beautiful business card for Boli's external publicity. (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)