Crafting a town (4)

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Scrap-walled houses are still common in Cicheng.Photos Provided to China Daily

Change from within

However, physical restoration alone is not enough to revive a town.

"What really matters is not the external, it is the inner spirit of the city," Yan says.

"The exhibits don't have to be expensive, but they have to be demonstrative of the history and manufacturing process of the handicraft," Huang says. "That's how exhibitions in Cicheng differ from those I did in big cities. They are meant for the handicraft students and designers."

The town now hosts handicraft workshops on a monthly basis, attracting international design firms like IDEO, Continuum and Frog Design.

German craft tool supplier PRYM set up its China showroom in Cicheng. Exception, a brand best known for dressing China's first lady Peng Liyuan for her first official appearance overseas, regularly sends its designers to Cicheng to train in handicrafts.

Cicheng is now home to 14 handicraft museums, 28 designers' studios, three master handcrafts' workshops and nine DIY workshops.

"We are trying to build an industry chain of Chinese handicrafts that has never existed before. It starts with the handcrafts masters. Their skills will teach and inspire designers, which will then attract manufacturers," Huang says. "And when all these people work together, the tradition of handicrafts will be passed on."

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