Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China, which has a large population of the Yi ethnic minority, boasts the best preserved Yi embroidery. Believed to have a 1,700-year-old history, the art has been recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage.

Yi embroidery is seen on traditional Yi clothes, shoes, pillowslips and decorative objects. Graphic images of fire, tiger head and bullhorn are common, along with abstract designs. The main threads used in Yi embroidery are black, red and yellow, representing their worship of the earth, fire and sun respectively.

In the past, a Yi girl's embroidery skills, especially for making beautiful clothes, used to be a measure of her abilities. However, the art fell into neglect for some time due to their hardscrabble life. But now, as some counties are developing an embroidery industry to create jobs and achieve sustainable growth, many Yi women have picked up their needles and threads once again, hoping to create not only beautiful patterns but also a life of plenty.

(Photos and text by Dong Ning)

Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar

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