Embroidery

	Qinghai nationalities like embroidery very much. The embroideries can be divided into four kinds according to the usage. .Practicality: such as shoes, socks, belt, pigtail tube, pillow etc, are the main parts of the embroidery;.Ornament: the embroideries on the money girdle, collar, pouch, packet, gauze mask(worn over nose and mouth).

Etiquette: wallet, pen container, girth, pipe, belt, shroud, elegiac couplet.

Religion: embroider the image of the Buddha and decorate the temple.

A lot of embroideries are beautiful and practical. Different nationalities in Qinghai have different embroidery styles.

From the artifact design we can see the religious and cultural custom of the common people. Tibetan, Mongolian and Tu nationality believe in Tibetan Buddhism.

Most of their embroidery designs are Eight Treasures, good luck, gloriously radiant and fleeting clouds, also include animal, flower and plant, and geometric figure. The distinguishing feature is the use of decorating.

The twisting and the twinning designs reflect the unite character of the nations . Hui,Sala and Dongxiang nationalities believe in Islam,most of their artifact designs are flowers and plants, others are animal designs. In the embroideries of Han nationality in Qinghai all kinds of embroider designs is used by gaining all the techniques other nationality used.

From the whole area of Qinghai we find the embroidery of the herdsman expressing the bold and uninhabited character of the nation by the exaggerate models, solemn color, strong contrast, rough lines, simple and unadorned feeling .

The peasants are famous for the articles of excellent workmanship with great varieties, well organized, vividly depiction, simple and vigorous.

In Qinghai there are many embroidery techniques , according to the local customs, called surface embroidery, twine embroidery, chain embroidery, net embroidery , stretch embroidery, buttress embroidery ,plaint embroidery , stack embroidery, clip and paste embroidrery, etc.

The twine embroidery is the general way of embroidery used in Tibetan, Mongolian and Tu nationality.Qinghai folk embroidery in the daily life, from the top to feet and and from the apparatus to their house.

The embroidery artifacts exist in everywhere. It shows people interests in beauty, especially the women of different nations.

Tibetan Carpet

Tibetan carpet is a kind of Tibetan traditional handicraft. It is called Ka Dian in Tibetan.Qinghai is the place of production of Xining Wool, the finest carpet wool in the world .With the plentiful wool resources, it owns the advantages of making carpet. Qinghai Tibetan carpet possesses these characteristics : elasticity, soft quality and bright sheen because of the excellent material and superb technique.On the basis of the usage, Tibetan carpet can be divided into finished needle point carpet used in family, belly band carpet used in riding horses, tapestry and cushion used in lamaseries.With the improvement of people living standard, the usage of Tibetan carpet becomes more widely.Because of the different usage, the content of the designs of Tibetan carpet is different: dragon and phoenix, Chinese unicorn, mountain and river, bird

and flower, scenic spot and historical site, and geometric figure. All these embody the traditional style of Tibetan designs.

The technique of expression is well-developed composition, bright color, primitive simplicity, solemn, tightly knit structure and graceful. It reflects the distinctive national features. In the past , family workshop made Tibetan carpet. So , the technique of expression, the composition of the designs and the color are different. And these fully express the charm of national folk art. Jiaya area, the neighbor of Kumbum Monastery(Tar Monastery) , is the traditional place of Tibetan carpet production.

Silverware

Silverware is one of the important artifacts and a practical article. Because of the great gravity, purity, wearability, oxidation and the luster, Qinghai nationalities like it very much and use silverware for dressing . Siverware is used widely among people.

There are four kinds of silverware in Qinghai:

Articles for daily use: silver bowl, chopsticks, flagon and wine cup and kettle.

Jewelry: silver eardrop, hairpin, necklace, ring and bracelet .

Ornaments: tool , shield and hoop.

Religious articles: butter light, water treatment kettle, Buddhist temple, amulet and trumpet. The materials used in processing silverware are:silver, copper (white, yellow, purple and red), iron, wood, the horn of ox and sheep, bone, agate and coral.

The course of processing silverware need more than ten times from casting the forms to the care and precision work. The forms of expression have high relief, shallow relief, hollow cut and silverlaid.

The handicraftsmen create a great deal of lovely artifacts with their skilled techniques and elaborate engraving. Most of the designs of Qinghai Tibetan silverware reflect the national traditional theme: the lucky Eight Treasures, dragon and phoenix, lion and tiger, precious bottle, birds and flowers, and geometric figures.

On the composition of the designs, according to the different forms of the objects, the handicraftsmen apply the artistic quality of single, symmetry and complex agily to the beautiful modeling and exquisite design and maintain the traditional pattern throughout.