Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c5.s2.t13.3

v1.c5.s2.t13.3

The embroidery of the Guangdong region was considered one of the four great styles of embroidery in China even though it is believed to have started fairly late, towards the end of the Ming Dynasty (late 16ᵗʰ and early 17ᵗʰ centuries CE). To suit the tastes of the Parsi women, who were their principal customers in India, the Chinese embroiderers adapted their craft. Their embroidery, in white or light coloured threads, was usually done on a dark background of red, purple or black silk, using a very fine satin stitch, or the tiny *kha-kha* stitch which gave the impression of the cloth being covered with seed pearls. The typical Chinese motifs that were used included flowers according to the seasons such as peonies, plum blossoms, chrysanthemums and lotuses. Bamboo, pomegranates, peaches and animals and birds of all descriptions, such as the pheasant, peacock wild geese and the crane which were also very common. One of the most vivid examples of the interpenetration of Chinese and Indian textile traditions was the heavily embroidered saris worn by Parsi women called the *gara*. The embroidery on these *gara* saris was either done by Chinese embroiderers or else was done in imitation of the work of Chinese embroiderers. The embroidery sometimes covered the whole sari while often the body of the sari was left plain and only the borders were embroidered. *Gara* saris that depicted typical scenes from Chinese life were called by the Parsis as "*cheena cheeni no garo*".