With the deepening of social transformation and lifestyle changes, the traditional costumes of ethnic minorities continue to be assimilated by the outside world. In the meanwhile, the new generation fails to inherit this craftsmanship while many old cross-stitch artists are passing away. The production is also facing difficulties for lack of materials. All these factors are contributing to the decline of the Huayao Cross-stitch and it is declining to an endangered status and is in urgent need of protection and rescue.
挑花流传于湖北省黄梅县和湖南省隆回县，是一种具有极强装饰性的刺绣工艺。
Cross-stitch is a type of highly decorative embroidery. The type of cross-stitch found in Huangmei County in Hubei Province is distinct from those found in Longhui County in Hunan.
黄梅挑花又名架子花、十字挑花，广泛流传于湖北省黄梅县。相传起源于唐宋时期，成熟于明末清初。长期以来，经过一代又一代农家妇女的精研细作，这门工艺日臻完善，以明快的色彩组合、精巧的图案构想凸显出独特的艺术表现力。
Huangmei Cross-stitch, named after the Huangmei County in Hubei, is also known as the frame stitch or cross-stitch. It is said that it originated in the Tang and Song dynasties, and evolved into a sophisticated skill in late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty. Refined and perfected by generations of peasant females over the years, it features a crisp color combination and ingenious pattern design, highlighting a unique artistic expression.
黄梅挑花被国内许多民间工艺研究专家称为彩挑。黄梅乡下百里棉区的彩色挑花更为精美，花样丰富多彩，地方特色浓郁。当地有俗谚说：“黄梅有女皆挑花。”蔡山、新开、孔垅等地的挑花工艺最为兴盛，女孩刚懂事就跟着妈妈或婶婶做针线活，一直做到出嫁。当地人把不会挑花的女孩叫做“整巴掌”，这对女孩是一种羞辱。
Huangmei Cross-stitch is referred by many domestic and oversea folk art researchers as “colored cross-stitch”. In the vast cotton cultivation area in the countryside of Huangmei County, the colored cross-stitch is even more beautiful, with a variety of patterns and strong local characteristics. There is a local proverb that says: “every girl in Huangmei excels at cross-stitch”. In Caishan, Xinkai, and Konglong, where the cross-stitch is flourishing in particular, girls begin to learn the needlework from their mother or aunt once they are capable of sewing and will keep practicing until they are married. Locals call a girl who fails to master the cross-stitch skill a “green hand”, which is very embarrassing.
黄梅挑花不同于一般刺绣，刺绣重刺，挑花重挑。黄梅挑花以元青布作底，用针将五彩丝线挑绣在底布经线和纬线交织的网格上，形成色泽绚丽、立体感强的图案。其中针脚为“×”字形的称“十字绣”，针脚为“一”字形的称平线绣。作品最初主要有头巾、衣边、门帘、帐沿、床围等，民间妇女用它们来打扮自己和装饰居室。
While common embroidery emphasizes embroidering skills, the cross-stitch focuses on the stitching. For Huangmei Cross-stitch, black cloth is used as the base, and colorful silk is stitched on the cloth mesh with interwoven warp and weft to form patterns that have brilliant colors and a strong three dimensional sense. In cross-sitch, the stitching is in the shape of “×”, referred to as the “cross-stitch”, while the stitch shape of the “Chinese character one” is referred to as the “flat stitch”. The works were originally limited to scarves, clothing hems, curtains, bed curtains and bed surrounds or other things that were used by girls to dress themselves or to decorate the room.
花瑶挑花相传源于汉代，成熟于明清时期。挑花的材料为藏青色或白色的土布和各色丝纱线，挑花女不用描图和模具，只是遵循土布的经纬徒手挑制，多采用图案中套图案的填充式挑花工艺。挑花图案取材广泛，多达千余种，大致有动物、植物、历史、生活习俗等四大类，以动物类图案最为常见，构思奇巧，造型大胆夸张，布局均衡对称，色彩黑白分明，具有强烈的视觉冲击力。我国著名文博专家沈从文先生称之为“世界第一流的挑花”。花瑶挑花服饰被中国美术馆、民族博物馆列为珍品收藏。1994年花瑶挑花在文化部举办的“中国民间艺术一绝大展”中获得铜奖，2003年又获“中国首届文物仿制品暨民间工艺品大展”金奖，隆回县虎形山瑶族乡因此被湖南省文化厅命名为“文化艺术之乡”。
It is said that the Huyao Cross-stitch originated in the Han Dynasty and become a mature craft in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The material for Huayao Cross-stitch is navy blue or white folkweave, and silk and yarn with different colors. Women craftsmen stitch along the warp and woof of the folkweave, all by hand, without any trace or die. Filling is a common stitching process where a pattern is embedded in another pattern. There is a wide range of pattern materials, up to a thousand items, which are basically categorized into animals, plants, history and customs, with animal patterns being their favorite. Huayao Cross-stitch features ingenious ideas, bold and exaggerated shapes, balanced and symmetrical layouts, and contrasting black and white space, presenting a strong visual impact. Mr. Shen Congwen, a well-known cultural heritage conservation expert in China, called it the “world-class cross-stitch”. Huayao Cross-stitch dresses have been collected by the National Art Museum of China and the National Museum of China as treasures of art. It won a bronze medal in “the Exhibition of Unique Chinese Folk Arts” organized by the Ministry of Culture in 1994, and a gold medal in “the First Exhibition of Culture Relic Imitations and Folk Artworks of China” in 2003. The Huxingshan Yao Ethnic Minority Village in Longhui County has been named “the town of culture and arts” by Hunan Provincial Department of Culture thereafter.
随着社会变革的深入和生活环境的改变，民族服饰不断被外界所同化，这一时期，许多老的挑花艺人去世，技艺传承出现断裂，同时挑花材料匮乏，制作面临困境。花瑶挑花工艺日渐式微，已到了濒危状态，亟待保护和挽救。
