Shu embroidery, also known as Sichuan embroidery, was originally developed by folks in western Sichuan, and was named after its production area. The ancient Western Sichuan Plain teemed with silkworms. According to the Records of the Grand Historian (or Shi Ji), during the Spring and Autumn Period, silk fabrics and linen fabrics produced in Sichuan were shipped to the Thai capital Yong for trading, and in the Jin Dynasties, embroidery had already become a Sichuan specialty. With the flourishing of the silk industry in this area, Sichuan embroidery began to thrive, and its production has been subject to control by government from the late Han Dynasty to the Three Kingdom Period. After the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the trading through the Silk Road brought about a soaring demand for embroidery and knitting products. As such, Sichuan embroidery experienced a peak in popularity. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, apart from maids engaged in embroidery in their boudoirs, many professional embroiderers and small-scale embroidery workshops emerged in Sichuan Province. By 1925, in Chengdu City alone, there were over 60 embroidery shops, employing more than 1000 persons. In 1950s, Sichuan embroidery became commonly popular among the people of Sichuan. In late 1970s, needlework and weaving work was practiced by every household in the rural areas of western Sichuan, where there were 4000 to 5000 persons engaged in the trade.

Sichuan embroidery is famous for its needlework techniques, with 122 varieties in 12 categories. With locally woven red, green and other colored satins and loose threads as raw materials, exquisite and vivid images such as flowers, birds, insects and fish as well as profound and magnificent landscapes like mountains and rivers can be found in Sichuan embroidery products, using various needlework techniques, precise stitches, smooth and steady threads, and classic and elegant colors. Over its continuous developing process, due to the influence of the geographic environment, manners and customs, local culture and arts and other factors, Sichuan embroidery has gradually formed its own unique style as being precise, delicate, shining, smooth, mellow, vigorous, well-patterned, and brightly-colored.

Sichuan embroidery has a high cultural and artistic value. Under the impact of social changes and changes in market demand in recent years, however, it has suffered a substantial recession in terms of production scale and business margin. Consequently, a mass of skilled craftsmen diverted their profession and were scattered, leading to the loss of many ancient embroidery techniques in a short period of time.