This embroidery design has won national awards in China.[Photo/chinaculture]

The origin of bead embroidery can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty. It flourished during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and was lost for some time after the 1960s. Xiamen bead embroidery was brought into the country by some overseas Chinese in the early 20th century. At that time, bead embroidered slippers from abroad attracted most of the craftsmen in Xiamen, from which they got the inspiration. They imported some glass beads from Japan and Southeast Asia, with which they started to design their own pattern of bead embroidery. From then on, Xiamen bead embroidered slippers gradually gained their fame. During the 1920s, all shops on Datong Road were selling the products. The slippers were not only welcomed in the domestic market, they were exported to Southeast Asia as well. In the 1950s, craftsmen in Xiamen gathered together and set up their own factory to produce bead embroidery. Their products, under the brand of Crystal, could be found in more than 50 countries across the world, including Great Britain and the United States. Bead embroidery at the time was a great handmade gift option.

However, the workmanship for making bead embroidered slippers is almost lost in the new century. The factory gradually reduced its production in the 1990s and finally closed down. Fewer craftsmen are familiar with the technique after the group of inventors passed away. Bead embroidered slippers require complicated craftwork. The beads used are all made of glass, which glitter under light. Adding the glass beads to the velvet of the slippers requires consummate craftsmanship, especially skillful stitching. In order to protect the skill, Xiamen government has included Xiamen bead embroidery into its city-level intangible cultural heritage list, hoping it will advance to the provincial level. The government believes, with their effort and the effort of the successors of the craftsmanship, Xiamen bead embroidery will one day become thriving again.