Sichuan in stitches

Shu embroidery, one of four regional schools of ancient needlework in China, captures images that are timeless. But the craft may be a dying art form, Huang Zhiling reports in Chengdu.

Monkeys frolic on trees. Tigers stroll in the mountains. Carp swim in water. Giant pandas and red pandas rest beside transparent lakes. These intricate figures-as well as people in traditional Chinese attire-come to life on the satin and colorful threads of Shu embroidery.

Stepping into Peng Shiping's home on the sixth floor of an old residential quarter in downtown Chengdu, Sichuan province, visitors feel like they are in a museum of this fine craft.