Horsetail Embroidery Passed Down By Shui Ethnic Group Women In China

Wei Taohua, horse-tail embroidery craftswoman of Shui ethnic group, picks horsetail hairs in Sandu, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, Dec. 12, 2012. Horsetail embroidery is a traditional embroidery handicraft that uses horsetail hairs as raw materials and has been passed down by Shui women for generations. It was listed in China’s first group of intangible cultural heritages in 2006.

Wei Taohua, horse-tail embroidery craftswoman of Shui ethnic group, wraps horsetail hairs with a thread in Sandu, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, Dec. 12, 2012.

Wei Taohua, a horse-tail embroidery craftswoman of Shui ethnic group, checks a piece of horsetail embroidery work in Sandu, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, Dec. 12, 2012.

Wei Taohua, a horse-tail embroidery craftswoman of Shui ethnic group, designs embroidery patterns in Sandu, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, Dec. 12, 2012.

Wei Taohua, a horse-tail embroidery craftswoman of Shui ethnic group, embroiders in Sandu, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, Dec. 12, 2012.

Wei Taohua, a horse-tail embroidery craftswoman of Shui ethnic group, aligns finished horsetail embroidery works in Sandu, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, Dec. 12, 2012. <Xinhua/Ou Dongqu>