Ding jin xiu, gold-thread embroidery
Gold thread tacked down to make the shape, used mostly on the robes of gods and on wedding dress.
Pronunciation dìng jīn xiù｜Craft and performance｜One entry in the Chaoshan glossary
What it means
Gold and silver thread first and silk thread second: the gold is tacked down in short runs to build the shape. It throws back daylight hard, and is legible from a distance.
The dragon on a god’s robe is usually worked in the two-needle scale stitch: gold coiled and tacked into small discs, each overlapping the next, the lower edge of every scale free to lift.
Why gold
A procession is outdoors and the crowd stands dozens of paces off. Fine stitching cannot be seen at that range; the shine of gold can. The choice of technique follows the viewing distance, which is a very practical reason why gold work has held on here.
Words easily confused
Gold-thread embroidery is a system of stitches within Chao embroidery, not a synonym for any embroidery that happens to use gold. Chao work also has silk-stitch and plain-thread methods that carry no gold at all.
Read next: Robes for the gods: the garment made for an image.
Same group: Chao embroidery, drawn work, carrying the gods.
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Last revised: 3 November 2026