乔：罗伯特，祝你生日快乐！给你准备了份小礼物，希望你喜欢。因为你是属马的，所以选了副骏马绣品。
Robert:Thank you, Jo, you are so considerate! Oh, my, look at its eyes! They are so bright as if they were real! Are they hand made?
乔：是的。这件是湘绣，中国“四大名绣”之一。
Robert:“Four Famous Embroideries of China”? What are they?
乔：中国的传统刺绣工艺品当中，常常将产于中国中部湖南省的“湘绣”，中国西部四川省的“蜀绣”，产于中国南部广东省的“粤绣”和产于中国东部江苏省的“苏绣”合称为中国“四大名绣”。
Robert:How can I tell their difference? Can you describe their differences one by one?
乔：湘绣主要以纯丝、硬缎、软缎、透明纱、尼纶等为原料，配以各色的丝线、绒线绣制而成。它以中国画为神，形神兼备。绣品中既有名贵的欣赏艺术品，也有美观适用的日用品。
Robert:Does this craftsmanship have a long history?
乔：迄今为止发现的最早的湘绣制品，是长沙马王堆一号汉代墓葬出土的一件丝织品，它所使用的针法与现代湘绣所差无几，说明早在两千多年前的汉代，湘绣工艺就已经产生了。
Robert:Wow, such a long history. Look at this galloping horse, it’s so real! I think I can sense some touches of traditional Chinese Paintings in it.
乔：你很有艺术眼光啊！经过漫长的发展，湘绣逐渐将国画传统特点引入其中，从而形成了自身的独特风格。至清末民初，湘绣的发展达到鼎盛时期，甚至超越了苏绣，在中国刺绣业中独占鳌头。
Robert:Su Embroidery? Dose “Su” include Suzhou, the city of gardens?
乔：是的，苏绣主要指江苏境内苏州一带的绣品。苏州不仅是园林之城，在清代还有“刺绣之称”的美称。苏绣至今已有2000余年的历史，早在三国时期就有了关于苏绣制作的记载。
Robert:I remember seeing a show of “double-sided embroidering” while I travel to Suzhou. Is this a special feature of Su embroidery?
乔：是的。清代中后期苏绣在绣制技术上有了进一步发展，出现了精美的“双面绣”，仅苏州一地专门经营刺绣的商家就有65家之多。苏绣作品主要可分为零剪、戏衣、挂屏三大类，装饰性与实用性兼备。其中以“双面绣”作品最为精美。
Robert:Did you say that “Xiang embroidery surpassed Su embroidery in the early Republic of China”?
乔：是的。由于常年战乱，苏绣在民国时期曾一度衰落。不过新中国成立后，苏绣得到恢复和进一步发展。1950年后，国家专门设立了苏绣研究所，并开办刺绣训练班。苏绣的针法由原来的18种发展到今天的40余种。
Robert:What about the other two embroideries?
乔：蜀绣也称“川绣”，它是以四川成都为中心的刺绣产品的总称。蜀绣的生产具有悠久的历史。早在汉代，蜀绣之名就已誉满天下，汉朝政府还在成都专门设置了“锦官”进行管理。
Robert:Official administration? That’s interesting. Does it mean the embroidery has become a national industry?
乔：可以这么说。清朝中叶以后，蜀绣逐渐形成行业，当时各县官府均设“劝工局”以鼓励蜀绣生产。新中国成立后，在四川设立了成都蜀绣厂，使蜀绣工艺的发展进入了一个新阶段，技术上不断创新，品种日益增多。
Robert:The natural scenery in Sichuan is so beautiful. I can bet there must be many themes of different plants, animals and scenery indigenous to the place.
乔：说对了！蜀绣作品选材丰富，有花草树木、飞禽走兽、山水鱼虫、人物肖像等。而且蜀锈的绣品种类繁多，包括被面、枕套、衣、鞋和画屏等，是观赏性与实用性兼备的精美艺术品。
Robert:Sichuan people are so ingenious. Sichuan do deserve the praise “an inspiring a place with talented people”
乔：你很了解中国文化啊！说说看你对粤秀了解多少？
Robert:Come on, don’t be kidding me! Tell me about it!
乔：粤绣也称“广绣”,是出产于广州、潮州、汕头、中山、番禺、顺德一带刺绣品的总称。据史料记载，唐永贞元年（公元805年），广东南海县一位名叫卢媚娘的少女曾在一块一尺左右的绢面上绣出七卷《法华经》，粤绣从此名扬天下。
Robert:I love cultural stories. Tell me more about it …
参考译文：
Jo：Happy Birthday, Robert! Here’s a small gift for you. It’s an embroidered horse. I chose it because you were born in the Year of the Horse. Hope you like it!
罗伯特：谢谢，乔，你真是太细心了！天啊，看看这双炯炯有神的眼睛，就像真的一样。这是手工制作的吗？
Jo：Yes, they are. It’s called Xiang Embroidery, one of the “Four Famous Embroideries of China”.
罗伯特：四大名秀”？说说看，哪四大名绣啊？
Jo：Of the traditional Chinese Embroidery works, those produced in Hunan Province, Sichuan Province, Guangdong Province and Jiangsu Province are respectively called “Xiang Embroidery”, “Shu Embroidery”, “Yue Embroidery” and “Su Embroidery”. The character before “embroidery” is the abbreviation of those places, which are located in the central, western, southern and eastern parts of China. Together they are called the “Four Famous Embroideries of China”.
罗伯特：它们有什么区别呢？
Jo：Xiang Embroidery uses pure silk, hard satin, soft satin and nylon as its material and is threaded with colored silk and wool threads. Absorbing the spirit of Chinese paintings, the embroidery reaches a high artistic level with vivid imaging. Xiang embroidery crafts include valuable works of art, as well as materials for daily use.
罗伯特：湘绣的历史有多久了？
Jo：The earliest piece of Xiang embroidery was unearthed at the No 1 Tomb of Mawangdui, Changsha City of the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220). The weaving technique was almost the same as the one used in modern times, which demonstrated that embroidery had already existed in the Han Dynasty.
罗伯特：这么久远啊！看看这匹奔腾的骏马，真是太逼真了！我能感觉到中国国画的笔致在里面。
Jo：Yeah, you have got an artistic eye! In its later development, Xiang Embroidery absorbed the characteristics of traditional Chinese paintings and formed its own unique characteristics. During late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China (early 20th century), Xiang embroidery took the lead in the county and experienced its heyday, even surpassing Su Embroidery.
罗伯特：你说苏绣吗？苏是不是包括园林之城苏州？
Jo：Yes, quite right! Su embroidery is the general name for embroidery products in areas around Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. As a city of gardens, Suzhou was also called the “City of Embroidery” in the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911). With a history of more than 2,000 years, the craft dates back to the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280).
罗伯特：我记得我在苏州旅游时看到过“双面绣”展示。这是苏绣的一大特色吗？
Jo：In the mid and late Qing Dynasty, Su embroidery experienced further developments involving works of double-sided embroidering. There were as many as 65 embroidery stores in Suzhou City alone. Su embroidery products fall into three major categories: costumes, decorations for halls and crafts for daily use, which integrate decorative and practical values. Of all the products, double-sided embroidery is the finest and most representative of the fine Su embroidery.
罗伯特：你刚才是不是说“清末民初，湘绣超越了苏绣。”？
Jo：Yes. During the Republic of China period (1912-1949), the Su Embroidery industry was in decline due to frequent wars. Fortunately, it was restored and regenerated after the founding of new China. In 1950, the central government set up research centers for Su embroidery and launched training courses for the study of embroidery. Weaving methods have grown from 18 to the present 40.
罗伯特：另外两种“名锈”呢？
Jo：Also called Chuan Embroidery, Shu Embroidery is the general name for embroidered products in areas around Chengdu, Sichuan Province. Shu Embroidery enjoys a long history and was already famous as early as in the Han Dynasty. The central government at that time even set up a special office in Chengdu for the administration of the craft.
罗伯特：“锦官”?真有意思。这是否意味着蜀绣已经成为国家产业？
Jo：Yes. During the mid-Qing Dynasty, the Shu Embroidery industry took shape and local government established promotion offices to enhance production. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Shu Embroidery factories were set up and the craft entered a new phase of development, using innovative techniques and a larger variety.
罗伯特：四川风景秀美，川绣也一定有很多题材描绘当地的花鸟鱼虫和风景人文。
Jo：Good bet! The works incorporated flowers, leaves, animals, mountains, rivers and human figures as their themes. With a large variety such as the facings of quits, pillowcases, coats, shoots and screen covers, Shu embroidered products have become works of arts with both aesthetics and practical values.
罗伯特：四川人民心灵手巧，四川更是名副其实的“人杰地灵”。
Jo：You certainly know a lot about Chinese culture. How much can you tell about Yue Embroidery?
罗伯特：哎呀，快别拿我开玩笑了，快讲给我听听。
Jo：Also called Guang Embroidery, Yue Embroidery is a general name for embroidered products of Guangzhou, Shantou, Zhongshan, Fanyu and Shunde in Guangdong Province. According to historical records, in the first year (805AD) of Emperor Yongzhen’s reign during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), a girl named Lu Meiniang embroidered the seventh volume of the Fahua Buddhist Scripture on a piece of thin silk only a quarter of 1sqm. From then on, Yue embroidery became famous around the country.
罗伯特：我喜欢文化故事。再给我多讲一些吧！
