Embroidery of the Bai ethnic group

Popular in the Yunnan region, Bai embroidery works are widely employed to decorate clothing, headwear, hats, shoes and home textiles, and feature patterns such as flowers, fruits and animals that are usually cut out or drawn on the textile before any stitchwork. Bai ethnic women pick up this craft during their childhood; their skills and works grow steadily and peak at the time of marriage.

What may be the most outstanding of their productions, their embroidered shoes, enjoy a high reputation in Dali of Yunnan province, where most of the Bai people reside. Their shoes are made of cloth and are in the style of flats, either with or without laces. They have turned-up toe caps and tail buckles. Some are broadly embroidered while others only bear embroideries in the toe area. Popular motifs include pomegranates, and plum and peach blossoms, as well as butterflies, chickens and crabs. These beautifully embroidered shoes are mostly worn during festivals and market-days, and are also crucial criteria used to judge the deftness of women.