Teochew embroidery (潮绣) is one of the four recognised regional embroidery traditions in China, characterised by its use of raised stitching to create three-dimensional figures and its distinctive gold-thread work for temple banners and ceremonial costumes. The finest examples take months to complete and are used in Teochew opera costumes, shrine decorations, and ritual objects for overseas diaspora communities — many pieces made in Chaozhou today end up in temples across Southeast Asia.
Several workshops in the old city still produce embroidery by hand, and some allow visitors to watch the work in progress. Finished pieces range from small decorative panels sold as gifts to elaborate ceremonial items. Prices for hand-embroidered work are higher than you might expect, and reasonably so given the labour involved — machine-made alternatives are available everywhere but barely comparable.