Young Chinese woman wins fame by making traditional handicrafts from everyday materials

He Yanhong, 33, better known as Yan Hong on the internet, is a traditional handicrafts designer from Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The traditional Chinese handicrafts she makes have become a hit in China and overseas. At the invitation of foreign designers, she cooperated with a foreign designer in what's considered to be fashion heaven -- Milan Fashion Week.

No matter how ordinary the materials are, Yan Hong is always able to create art from them. She was once able to complete set of headwear of the Miao ethnic group from 68 cans, a Peking Opera phoenix coronet from 18 cans, and "golden" armor from 3,000 nut shells.

In 2021, she apprenticed under Ni Chengyu, a Chinese arts and crafts master, learning how to make filigree, a part of China's intangible cultural heritage. She is working hard to transform herself from an amateur to a true craftswoman.

From exposure to Yan Hong's works, more and more people are dazzled by the Chinese culture and wisdom.

Due to her popularity on social media, Yan Hong was invited to give a speech at Oxford University in the UK in 2019.

"It is a great honor for me to introduce traditional Chinese handicrafts at such a world-leading educational institution," she told the Global Times in an April interview.

But she did not think this opportunity was mainly due to her superb craftsmanship, but thanks to her "mother country's big influence in the world."

"I think more people from other countries have started to be interested in Chinese culture as our country becomes stronger. I feel very grateful to live in such a good era and have a platform to show our traditional culture to the world," she said.

(Story compiled by Huang Jingjing; Video: Global People magazine)