概要 About
（简）贵州苗绣是中国贵州地区少数民族的刺绣工艺。作为传统手工艺，苗绣于2006年列入第一批国家级非物质文化遗产。苗绣除了技法富有特色之外，还承载了贵州大山各苗族族群的历史、文化和生活方式。由于苗族有漫长的迁徙历史，苗族人民擅于通过服饰来记录历史和生活点滴。几乎所有在中国历史上出现过的传统技艺，如织、绣和染，都被苗绣保留下来，成为了鲜活的文化遗产。
以前的苗族有着男耕女织、男渔猎女采集的生活习俗，因而格外重视女子的织绣染手艺，即古时候说的「女红」。女娃从小学习刺绣技法，同时在学习过程中认识部族历史，细听长辈娓娓道来的老故事。在技法熟练后，女子便会根据自己所学的部族历史、传说和习俗规范来制作嫁衣。从构图到缝制甚为费工费时，所以一件衣服要经年累月才得以完成。除了嫁衣，苗族女子还要制作送给男子的定情信物，一般为腰带、荷包、绣花包包之类的小物，还有给未来小孩用的背儿带、口水兜和娃娃的衣服。女子在成家后因生活忙碌，大多无法专业从事女红，顶多是制作一些生活所需的小物品，精美程度与用心程度大不如前。精致的苗绣本身罕有，而又能在几十年岁月中被妥善保存下来的，实在是难能可贵、不可多得。
中国以其丰富的历史和文化背景而闻名，拥有不少独特而多样的文化遗产。可惜这些遗产正因自然和人为原因而消失，就如此数字博物馆展示的苗绣。数字化为保护和促进文化遗产提供了解决方案。此项目将贵州少数民族独特的非物质文化遗产数字化，并创建一个虚拟的「网络展览中心」以展示藏品。通过在线访问此数字博物馆，国内外观众能够提高对中国文化遗产的了解和鉴赏。此次展示的精选苗绣皆由贵州兰妈妈多彩衣装传统民族服饰博物馆提供，展品皆为各种技法和不同年代的代表之作，源自贵州苗族的各个主要部族支系，以保证此数字博物馆的水准。
此数字博物馆乃香港大学和贵州兰妈妈多彩衣装传统民族服饰博物馆的合作项目。感谢贵州兰妈妈多彩衣装传统民族服饰博物馆提供珍贵藏品和详尽资料，并制作精美的照片。同时感谢香港大学的知识交流办公室、教育学院及图书馆，在项目中担当了重要的统筹和协调角色。此数字博物馆获大学教育资助委员会拨款的港大知识交流基金资助，感谢基金对计划的支持和认同。此项目本来计划画同时实体展示苗绣藏品，可惜因疫情而未能如期举行。在此亦感谢香港大学图书馆的展览筹备工作。最后，感谢《一针一线：贵州苗族服饰手工艺》（鸟丸知子 着）为词汇翻译提供参考。感谢各单位对数字博物馆的鼎力相助，此数字博物馆才得以完成，从而向大众推广中国珍贵的文化遗产。
(ENG) Guizhou Miao embroidery refers to various artisan embroidery techniques crafted by ethnic minorities in Guizhou province in China. As a traditional craft, Miao embroidery was first listed in the inaugural register of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2006. It not only involves distinctive craftsmanship but also embodies the history, culture and lifestyle of the Miao communities in Guizhou. As they have had a long history of migration, the Miao are skillful at documenting their social and cultural history and life events through their clothing. Almost all traditional crafts that have ever emerged in Chinese history, for instance, weaving, embroidering and dyeing, are preserved by Miao embroidery, creating a vibrant living cultural heritage.
Traditionally, Miao men were responsible for farming and fishing, and women were responsible for weaving and collecting food. Women’s techniques in weaving, embroidering and dyeing were especially emphasized and these skills were collectively referred to as “female needlework”. Girls began learning embroidery techniques at a young age, listening to the stories told by their elders and gaining an understanding of their tribal history. After becoming proficient in embroidery techniques, young women would make their own wedding costumes in accordance with their tribal history, legends and myths, customs and norms. Designing, weaving and stitching is a time-consuming and laborious process, and the making of a wedding costume takes a considerable amount of time to finish. Other than their own wedding costumes, Miao women also needed to make love tokens for their future husbands, which included belts, wallets and small embroidered bags as well as baby carrying belts, bibs and clothes for their future children. Most women could no longer engage in “female needlework” after getting married due to the demands of their daily responsibilities. The little time they could spare for embroidery was used to make small objects for using as part of their daily lives. The intricacy and effort paid to smaller embroidered objects cannot be compared to that of the embroideries they have previously produced. As a result, exquisite Miao embroideries such as those in this virtual museum are rare, and those that are intactly preserved after decades are especially precious and exceptional.
China, possessing quite a number of unique and diverse cultural heritages, is well-known for its rich history and cultural background. Unfortunately, these cultural heritages, including Miao embroideries showcased in this virtual Museum, are vanishing due to a combination of natural and man-made factors. Digitalization provides a solution for the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage. The current project digitalizes the unique intangible cultural heritage of Guizhou ethnic minorities and creates a virtual “Online exhibition centre” to showcase the collection. Through visiting this virtual museum online, it is hoped that both Chinese and international visitors’ understanding and appreciation of Chinese cultural heritage can be enhanced. To ensure the quality of the virtual museum, the selection of Miao embroideries exhibited are provided by the Guizhou Lanmama museum and are all representative work of each embroidery technique of different eras from branches of each major Guizhou Miao tribe.
This virtual museum is a collaborative project between the University of Hong Kong and the Guizhou Lanmama museum. We would like to express our most sincere gratitude to the Guizhou Lanmama museum for providing access to their valuable collections and detailed information, as well as their assistance in making high-quality photos. We also want to give special thanks to the Knowledge Exchange Office, the Faculty of Education and the library of the University of Hong Kong, all of whom significantly contributed to the planning and coordination of this project. The virtual museum was supported by the University of Hong Kong’s Knowledge Exchange Fund granted by the University Grants Committee and we would like to express our profound gratitude to the Fund for their trust and support. Originally, a physical exhibition of Miao embroidery was intended to be installed at the University of Hong Kong library, however, this had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the cancellation of the physical exhibition, we would like to deeply thank the University of Hong Kong library for all the preparations they had made for the exhibition. Finally, we would like to cite “One Needle One Thread” as the reference used for translation and offer our great appreciation towards its author, Tomoko Torimaru. The establishment of this virtual museum and the goal of promoting and bringing precious Chinese cultural heritage to the public could not have been achieved without the help of the aforementioned.
（繁）貴州苗繡是中國貴州地區少數民族的刺繡工藝。作為傳統手工藝，苗繡於2006年列入第一批國家級非物質文化遺產。苗繡除了技法富有特色之外，還承載了貴州大山各苗族族群的歷史、文化和生活方式。由於苗族有漫長的遷徙歷史，苗族人民擅於通過服飾來記錄歷史和生活點滴。幾乎所有在中國歷史上出現過的傳統技藝，如織、繡和染，都被苗繡保留下來，成為了鮮活的文化遺產。
以前的苗族有著男耕女織、男漁獵女採集的生活習俗，因而格外重視女子的織繡染手藝，即古時候說的「女紅」。女娃從小學習刺繡技法，同時在學習過程中認識部族歷史，細聽長輩娓娓道來的老故事。在技法熟練後，女子便會根據自己所學的部族歷史、傳說和習俗規範來製作嫁衣。從構圖到縫製甚為費工費時，所以一件衣服要經年累月才得以完成。除了嫁衣，苗族女子還要製作送給男子的定情信物，一般為腰帶、荷包、繡花包包之類的小物，還有給未來小孩用的背兒帶、口水兜和娃娃的衣服。女子在成家後因生活忙碌，大多無法專業從事女紅，頂多是製作一些生活所需的小物品，精美程度與用心程度大不如前。精緻的苗繡本身罕有，而又能在幾十年歲月中被妥善保存下來的，實在是難能可貴、不可多得。
中國以其豐富的歷史和文化背景而聞名，擁有不少獨特而多樣的文化遺產。可惜這些遺產正因自然和人為原因而消失，就如此數字博物館展示的苗繡。數字化為保護和促進文化遺產提供了解決方案。此項目將貴州少數民族獨特的非物質文化遺產數字化，並創建一個虛擬的「網絡展覽中心」以展示藏品。通過在線訪問此數字博物館，國內外觀眾能夠提高對中國文化遺產的了解和鑑賞。此次展示的精選苗繡皆由貴州蘭媽媽多彩衣裝傳統民族服飾博物館提供，展品皆為各種技法和不同年代的代表之作，源自貴州苗族的各個主要部族支系，以保證此數字博物館的水準。
此數字博物館乃香港大學和貴州蘭媽媽多彩衣裝傳統民族服飾博物館的合作項目。感謝貴州蘭媽媽多彩衣裝傳統民族服飾博物館提供珍貴藏品和詳盡資料，並製作精美的照片。同時感謝香港大學的知識交流辦公室、教育學院及圖書館，在項目中擔當了重要的統籌和協調角色。此數字博物館獲大學教育資助委員會撥款的港大知識交流基金資助，感謝基金對計劃的支持和認同。此項目本來計劃畫同時實體展示苗繡藏品，可惜因疫情而未能如期舉行。在此亦感謝香港大學圖書館的展覽籌備工作。最後，感謝《一針一線：貴州苗族服飾手工藝》（鳥丸知子 著）為詞彙翻譯提供參考。感謝各單位對數字博物館的鼎力相助，此數字博物館才得以完成，從而向大眾推廣中國珍貴的文化遺產。