The
Zhuang peoples have long been famed for their embroidery skills.
These beautiful examples are known as
XiuQiu
or more commonly Zhuang Love Balls.
The
balls are made of twelve coloured silk cloth segments
whose pattern indicates the connection of
twelve petals or months.
Each petal (month) has a mascot.
A mascot could be a
plum blossom, bamboo, swallows, dragon, chrysanthemum, orchid or phoenix.
All
these symbols represent reunion and eternal happiness.
The petals typically are
red, yellow and green.
Traditionally embroidered by hand by young girls
to give to the man they wished to marry.
Originally love gifts, a Zhuang woman would climb a mountain and sing out to her fiance who she hadn’t yet met face-to-face. He would answer with song.
If she liked the sound of his song, she would present him with an embroidered ball as a sign of affection
– the bigger the ball the greater the love.
An old Zhuang saying that is passed on from mother to daughter.
“If you don’t embroider, you won’t find a good man.”
So every Zhuang girl learned to embroider from an early age.
Liu
Sanjie
was, as the story goes, the third-born daughter of a man surnamed Liu,
who lived centuries ago (in the Tang Dynasty: 618–907) in Guangxi Province. She
became known for her singing as various dignified local oppressors came to her
village and were left speechless and defeated by her tuneful and witty songs.
The legend goes that she was wooed by a boy named A Niu (阿牛 /ah-nyoh/ "Bull"), who
sung replies to her songs at the Big Banyan Tree in Yangshuo County.
As was the custom, Liu Sanjie gave
A Niu an embroidered ball
to signify she liked him and he could pursue her.
A
Niu promptly tossed the ball across the river, high onto a rock the other
side, where nobody could reach it
and it would stay as an everlasting reminder
of their Love.
The story of Liu San Jie is still enacted for tourists.....
Most dramatically in Yanshou on the river!
Today although they can now be mass produced there are still places where they are hand-made and you can go to watch the ladies at work
We visited Jiuzhou Old Town in Jingxi, last October with the older Da Mo girls. Although they are from this area, and mainly Miao rather than Zhuang,
they had never visited here before or seen these balls being made.
Many of the girls had never been out of their village or explored any of their own beautiful countryside.
So it was quite an experience for us all!
So, how are they made?
Each segment is hand cut in 3 layers,
with the top layer in silk hand embroidered with one of the lucky mascots
The
women work almost without looking,
while taking care of children and selling in
their shop.
..before being joined together with gold braid
These ladies work hard, I am sure do not earn a huge
living,
but they keep the Zhuang tradition alive.
After watching the balls being made, each girl picked one for her self
and came home delighted with their experience.
Today Xiu Qiu are given in friendship, as symbols of
Love, Blessing, Friendship.
If you would like one, hand-made in Juizhou
they can
be purchased from Hope4China.
These are the colours we have right now.......
red
turquoise
multi-coloured
gold
purple
These are the colours we have right now.......
red
turquoise
multi-coloured
gold
purple
Small, £3/4euros/$5
Medium, £5/6euros/$8
Large £7/9euros/$11
100% of the proceeds helps children in China!
Email to order : linda@hope4china.com
Email to order : linda@hope4china.com
