The history of cotton embroideries of rural China is discussed, emphasizing embroidery's status as pure folk art which is passed intact within a family for centuries. The embroideries are generally worked in blue and white cotton thread on a white cotton fabric for household furnishings and apparel. Some of the finest, most elaborate designs are on bed valances and sheets, worked in Szechwan Province, with designs depicting myths, stories, and puns. -- AATA