Dali embroidery is a traditional folk art. The shapes are simple and exaggerated, the themes are wide, the forms are diverse, the ideas are ingenious, the colors are strong and bright, the meanings are implicit, the needlework is flexible, the embroidery is fine, and the layout of the images is well-arranged, which fully reflects the simple consciousness of the ancestors and the rich folk cultural connotations. Dali County is located in the eastern part of the Weibei Plain in Shaanxi Province, at the intersection of the Yellow River, Luo River and Wei River. It was called "Tongzhou Prefecture" in ancient times. It is located on the bank of the Yellow River and at the foot of Mount Hua. It is known as the "Three Qins Thoroughfare" and "Three Auxiliary Towns". Dali embroidery craftsmanship has a history of more than 2,000 years, which can be traced back to the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. As early as the Yushun Zhou Dynasty, there were records of "embroidery and weaving shared duties". From the Republic of China to the Anti-Japanese War, although there were wars and social turmoil, the folk art in the northern plateau area of Dali survived relatively intact due to the relatively closed transportation, maintaining its original appearance and spreading to this day. Dali embroidery not only embellishes and beautifies people's lives, but also closely integrates with local customs and folkways, permeating into people's birthdays, marriages, birthdays, sacrifices, religions and various fields of daily life, and is closely related to the daily life of Dali people. When a child passes the "full moon", according to the local customs of Dali, relatives and friends must send embroidered clothing as gifts. For example, the child's uncle must prepare tiger-head pillows, tiger-head hats and embroidered toys such as unicorns, pigeons, and tigers for the child. The grandmother sews various clothes with red flowers and green leaves, tiger-head cloaks, etc. for the child, and the flower belly wraps with dragons and phoenixes are sent by aunts and aunts, and aunts and younger aunts must send tiger-head shoes and frog shoes that look like tigers. These gifts should be placed on the wedding table for everyone to watch and comment on, and praise the makers and participants. Each piece reflects a strong maternal love and care for new life, and is filled with a warm interest in life. The overall color of boys' attire is mostly red, blue, and black. The patterns embroidered on the shoes are either "the number one scholar enters the house", "immediately become a marquis", "two dragons playing with pearls", unicorns and other patterns, wishing the children a smooth career. There are also animals and plants such as pomegranates, peaches, tigers, chickens, and fish, which symbolize great fortune and wealth, and eliminate difficulties for children. The most wonderful are embroidered children's shoes. In terms of shoe shape, most of them are tiger shoes, with tiger heads in front, tiger feet on the sides, and tiger tails in the back, which are lifted up and have a tiger's prestige. The shoes with a green toad embroidered on the front are called toad shoes, which have the beautiful meaning of "winning the first prize in the toad palace and getting money on the ground". Girls' clothes are usually yellow, green, and purple. The patterns embroidered are mostly "Phoenix facing the sun", "Lotus gives birth to a noble son", "Fat baby sitting on lotus", and butterflies, phoenixes, and peonies, which mean "children are climbing dragons and phoenixes on the road of life, and they are getting lighter and lighter". In May, the "Dragon Boat Festival", Dali has the custom of "the sun is red in May, make a sachet to drive away poisonous insects". Mothers carefully made bellybands and sachets, embroidered with five poisonous insects, to protect their children from the invasion of evil spirits. Embroidery works are often used in the community fire in Dali area, such as: back flower gongs, rockers, flower drums, and umbrellas, etc., to show women's talents and set off the magnificent momentum of the community fire. Dali embroidery, especially in the decoration of flower drums, pushes this unique folk custom to 0. In terms of appearance, tiger patterns are often used. Exquisite embroidery works are sewn around the drums, and tiger dance steps are added, which reflects the inheritance of the original tiger totem worship in this area. It is also a true portrayal of the symbiotic relationship between Dali embroidery and local folk customs. A girl's marriage is a big happy event for the family, and the wedding dress is the highlight. The color contrast is strong, the flower shape is huge, the flower center is decorated with gold stars, and the texture is elegant and strong. It is really "the front lapel is embroidered with peony, the rich chest is red and bright; the high collar is embroidered with flowers, the master of the house is happy, the buttons are like pipa buttons, the waist is hidden with cloud patterns, and the couple's love is heavenly." The production of the ten-belt skirt is even more gorgeous. The whole skirt is embroidered with belts, and patterns such as mandarin ducks playing in the water, lotus flowers, and rich peonies are embroidered on it. The top of the skirt belt is equipped with small silver bells and various jewels, and the tassels at the bottom are fat and thick. With the three-inch golden lotus with bells, every step jingles, and the walking is light and elegant. Folk customs are the living environment of Dali embroidery. With the passage of time and the change of people's living environment, in addition to the inheritance of traditional decorative patterns and folk customs, Dali embroidery has added many new folk cultural elements among some wealthy literati families, creating some new patterns. Dali embroidery is divided into four parts: cutting patterns, selecting threads, embroidering, and sewing. Before embroidery, the old patterns handed down are selected, and the local folk patterns are combined with the objects to be expressed through the meaning of Dali's local folk patterns, folk activities and other characteristics. For example, boys use longevity peaches, Buddha's hands, pomegranates, sika deer, orchids, etc. in clothing; girls use butterflies, peonies, pomegranates, gourds and melons. In terms of the connection between patterns and fabrics, some people draw flowers on the fabric, while others cut patterns out of paper and stick them on the fabric. The selection of threads and colors is expressed according to the artist's memory and folk customs, the artist's life experience, and aesthetic taste. The tools include: thread clips, thread boards, bows, baskets, shoe clamps, scissors of various sizes, needles, thimbles, etc. In terms of fabric selection, silk is often used as the fabric, and cotton is used interspersed. In terms of embroidery thread selection, silk thread was often used in the old days. Since there were fewer farmers raising silkworms, silk thread was rarely seen. Now cotton thread or blue yarn is often used. In terms of embroidery needle selection, small needles with tail eyes are often used. Dali embroidery is a traditional handmade embroidery art in the Weibei area. It is widely used in folk activities in daily life. Compared with the embroidery works of several neighboring counties and districts, it has unique folk uses. There are local folk customs in specific techniques and patterns. For example, in specific patterns, images with seeds are preferred, hoping for many children and blessings. This is a specific expression of the fertility worship in the Dali area. It reflects the rough and bold decorative characteristics of the Yellow River culture and the grand tolerance of the immigrant culture in the Yellow River Basin. It is an important material for the study of folk culture in Weibei area. It has a vivid reference value for understanding and studying immigrant culture. It is the confirmation of local social relations and the crystallization of artistic wisdom of women of all generations. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, with the change of living conditions of embroidery fabrics, the natural inheritance of embroidery was seriously affected. With the shrinking of folk affairs, Dali embroidery has gradually faded out of folk activities. Now in Dali, it only makes clothes, shoes and hats for children, insoles for adults, vests and some clothing accessories for the elderly. The distance between embroidery works and the lives of local people is getting farther and farther. He Guilan, an excellent inheritor of Dali embroidery, and other older generation embroidery artists are already old. Their descendants are only relatives and neighbors, and their production skills are not very skilled. From the current situation, people have no time to take care of the learning and inheritance of embroidery, and more traditional patterns and techniques are declining. If it is not rescued and protected in time, it will cause the loss of traditional culture. Dali embroidery will continue to decorate the lives of Weibei people with the endless flow of the Yellow River, and will be passed down from generation to generation. We strive to ensure that Dali embroidery is protected, inherited and developed over a long period of time through unremitting efforts.