Baby Carrier

Embroidered Miao baby carrier from Zhijin (织金), a county in Southwest China. Woven and embroidered by Miao women prior to marriage, baby carriers, also known as beishan (背扇) or beidai (背带), are a way women use to advertise their skills as a wife and mother and express their love for their children. The four corners of the textile are fastened together to hold the baby. In the center, the four-petaled tongzi hua (桐子花), a flower native to the mountains in Guizhou, symbolizes prosperity and fertility. The pattern is filled with chanxiu (缠绣) stitches, a challenging technique that distinguishes the Zhijin-style embroidery from other Miao ones. On top of the flower, there are two identical patches of circular medallions in the same stitch.