It was called needle embroidery in ancient times. It is a process of using embroidery needles to guide colored threads, and embroidering the stitches on textiles according to the designed patterns, so as to form a pattern pattern pattern with the stitches. Embroidery, as a handicraft with a wide range of regions, all countries and nationalities have their own strengths and advantages through long-term accumulation and development. In addition to the four famous embroideries, there are also local famous embroideries in China, such as Beijing Embroidery, Lu Embroidery, Bian Embroidery, Ou Embroidery, Hangzhou Embroidery, Han Embroidery, and Min Embroidery.

The name of the four famous embroideries was formed in the middle of the 19th century. In addition to its own artistic characteristics, another important reason is the commercialization of embroidery. Due to the different market demand and embroidery origin, embroidery handicrafts as a commodity began to form their own local characteristics. Among them, embroidery products from Jiangsu, Sichuan, Guangdong and Hunan have a particularly wide market and great influence, so they are known as the "Four Famous Embroideries".

The four famous embroideries refer to Suzhou embroidery, Hunan embroidery, Guangdong embroidery and Shu embroidery in the traditional embroidery techniques of the Chinese nation. Embroidery is a decorative fabric in which silk thread or other fibers and yarns are punctured on the embroidery material with certain patterns and colors, and the patterns are formed by embroidery. It is an art of adding human design and production to any existing fabric with needle and thread. Suzhou embroidery has a history of more than 2000 years. Suzhou embroidery has been famous for its delicacy and elegance since ancient times. Its composition is concise, its theme is prominent, and its skills are exquisite. Just take the finest thread used in Suzhou embroidery as an example, which can be seen clearly by the naked eye of ordinary people.

Xiang embroidery developed from the advantages of Suzhou embroidery and other embroidery. Xiang embroidery uses different colored threads to blend with each other and gradually change, with rich and full colors and harmonious tones. The patterns of Xiang embroidery draw on the advantages of Chinese painting, and the embroidered contents are mostly landscapes, figures, animals, etc., especially the lion and tiger themes of Xiang embroidery, which are vivid and lifelike.

Guangdong embroidery has a full composition, complex but not disorderly, strong decoration, rich and bright colors, and smooth embroidery. Cantonese embroidery has a wide range of themes, mostly with patterns of birds rising in the sun, dragons and phoenixes, etc.

Shu embroidery takes soft satin and colored silk as its main raw materials, with more than 100 kinds of stitches, giving full play to the advantages of hand embroidery, with a strong local style. The subjects of Shu embroidery are mostly flowers and birds, animals, insects and fish, and people. In addition to the embroidered screen, there are also quilt covers, pillowcases, cushions, tablecloths, scarves, and so on.