Year: 2006
Sort: Traditional Handicraft
Area: Jiangsu Province
Serial No.: Ⅷ-82
Declarer: Suzhou, Jiangsu Province

Producing theatrical costumes and tools became a bourgeoning business in Suzhou as early as in the mid-Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when the Kun Opera gained popularity in the region. Also, abundant silk and dexterous local embroiders in Suzhou largely contributed to the thriving production of theatrical costumes and tools. They were so elegant and exquisite in style that the four most widely celebrated Peking Opera performers in the 1930s, namely, Mei Lan, Cheng Yanqiu, Xu Huisheng, and Shang Xiaoyun, all had their theatrical costumes made in Suzhou.