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这幅由海南省五指山市水满乡的苗族姑娘绣制的《清明上河图》发绣作品长9.68米，宽0.46米，由10名苗族姑娘花费一年时间，选用100多万根经过加工染色的苗家少女头发绣制而成。现在就让我们一起走进水满乡，走进苗家，走进发绣的世界。
Shuiman town is located at the foot of the famous Wuzhi Mountain, or literally the Five Fingers Mountain in Hainan Province, south China.
There is a village in this small town, which is named after a special kind of embroidery. It's called Faxiu Village, or Hair Embroidery Village in English.
Every girl and young woman in the village knows how to make the special embroidery which uses human hair as thread.
苗妹发绣艺术是苗族人民以勤劳和智慧创造的一门艺术，堪称"无字史书"，源于我国唐朝年间佛教盛行时期，至今已有一千多年历史，其蕴含的文化内涵可折射出苗族的历史和变迁过程，具有极高的文化品味和欣赏价值。
When we entered the village, we met the curious eyes of the residents. This small village seldom receives visitors. But when they get to know us, they provided the best possible hospitability.
Six young women from the Miao ethnic minority group are embroidering in the village's cultural activity room. They sing resonating mountain songs while they work.
苗妹发绣是苗家姑娘以五指山少女的头发代线而绣，由于头发具有特殊性能，坚韧光滑、色泽经久不褪，利用其本身黑、白、灰、黄、棕等自然色体的色泽和细、柔、光、滑的特性，运用滚针、缠针、接针、切针等不同针法刺绣而成，她构图美观夸张，图象生动，文雅，质朴素净，针迹细密，色彩柔和，对比鲜明，具有独特的、浓厚的民族风格。与粤绣、湘绣、蜀绣、苏绣不同，她还有耐磨耐蚀，永不褪色，富有弹性，利于保存，是五指山少数民族工艺品中别具一格的精品佳作，是苗族艺术奇葩，天下一绝。
苗妹发绣生产制作过程十分严谨，从搜集头发到筛发、选发、分档、分色、软发、退脂、加工处理等都有一套完整的科学处理程序，经特制后的各种头发，不霉、不
烂、不蛀、不褪色。制作每一幅发绣作品都尽可能采用自然色，也称原色，特殊色发，用补色来弥补，但要求达到相当的固色牢度，通常情况下一副精制的发绣作
品，采用自然色越多越珍贵。从设计，勾样到刺绣的结束，要花费几十乃至于数百个工日，也只完成了一个初样，还要装裱、嵌锦、配架，经过严格的检验，方能算
全部完工。
Lu Xiuxin is one of them.
"We've spent three months on this piece. There are cows of different colors on the original painting, so we use hairs with different hues to embroider-red hair, black hair and blond hair. And we use different styles of stitches to make it. Isn't it very nice to use embroidery like this to decorate your home?"
But why do they use human hair for thread? Locals say compared to common thread, human hair is sleeker, more durable, and its color does not fade as easily. Since hair is such a special material, finished embroidery works that use it are usually very vivid.
Lu Xiuxin says to produce hair embroidery, the long hair of a young girl must first be washed and collected. Her hair is then used as thread to embroider a woven textile.
It takes more painstaking effort to complete a piece of hair embroidery than a regular embroidered work since the skills required are much more meticulous and precise. To finish the cow embroidery, for instance, the six young women have been working for more than three months. They have worked for at least eight hours each day during this period.
Jiang Lina is the youngest at 21, yet she has been embroidering for eight years. This is not unusual. Most Miao girls learn hair embroidery when they are very young and they practice it on almost everything, including scarves, sleeves and collars. Their years of practice help them to master the delicate craft of hair embroidery.
"I've been practicing hair embroidery for more than five years. I love the delicate art. It's only that the skill to make it is hard, and it takes patience to master it."
The origin of hair embroidery can be traced back 1,300 years ago to the Tang Dynasty. Girls would cut their long hair and use it to weave the image of Buddha to show their piety.
But the practice declined in later years. In the 1970s, the ancient skill was revived and has since been explored and studied in detail, especially in the villages of the Miao ethnic minority group.
Since Chinese people generally have black hair, most traditional hair embroidery is what is called "moxiu," or literally the black embroidery.
But today, the craft has by far surpassed its past attainments in color and variety. Hair is no longer limited to black. Other colors such as blonde, amber, auburn, white and grey of various shades are also used.
Jiang Yihong is the most skilled Faxiu handicraftwoman among the Miao girls. She explains how hair is selected for the embroidery.
"Hair of the best quality must be from girls who are between 12 and 20 years old. Such hair has the best flexibility, toughness and gloss. It would be great if the hair has only been washed by natural materials, and never by chemicals like shampoos. Before we collect the hair, we ask the girls to wash it with natural oil for no less than two months. That will bring out the best in the hair. And then we collect the hair and further process it."
In 2008, Jiang Yihong and other young Miao women set up a studio to create high-level hair embroidery artwork.
Today, more young Miao women have joined the studio. Determined to hand down the traditional craft, they are involved in the whole process, from collecting hair and embroidering to framing the finished products.
Their hard work is paying off. Now their hair embroideries are hot products not only in China, but also in southeastern Asia.
