Yue embroidery (Chinese: 粵繡; Jyutping: Jyut6 sau3), or Guangdong embroidery, is a style of embroidery folk art of the Chaoshan and Pearl River Delta region. It encompasses Guangzhou embroidery (广绣) and Chaozhou embroidery (潮绣). It is one of the well-known "four great embroideries of China", the other three being Sichuan embroidery, Suzhou embroidery and Xiang embroidery.[1][2]
Yue embroidery is highly regarded for its full composition, vivid images, bright colors, multiple embroidery techniques, smoothness, and evenness.[3] This style usually use nature or auspicious symbols as the subject matters. Located in a subtropical region with plenty of sunshine and rainfall, Cantonese and Teochew have had access to a diverse set of flora and fauna, resulting in nature being an important source of inspiration for Yue embroidery's aesthetics. Yue embroidery can be further divided into four styles: woolen needlepoint tapestry, bead embroidery, machine embroidery and "Ding Gum Sau" (the use of silver and gold threads). Yue embroidery can be founded on various objects: hanging screen, clothes, shoes, etc.
Among the motifs commonly used in Cantonese embroidery (especially Guang embroidery), the “Hundred Birds” is a favorite, along with flowers, fruits, dragons and phoenixes, fish, landscapes, scenery, and figures. Notably, lychees, red kapok, and the “Three Birds” (chicken, goose, and duck) are prominent examples.[4]