Yi embroidery in SW China’s Yunnan prospers

Female embroiderers of the Yi ethnic group discuss embroidery techniques with each other. (People's Daily Online/Hu Zunhui)

In recent years, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province has advanced the development of Yi embroidery art.

For over 1,700 years, Chuxiong Yi embroidery art has been known for its creative themes, beautiful color schemes and exquisite designs.

In Chuxiong, there are 538 households, 56 cooperatives and about 57,000 female embroiderers engaged in the craft. In 2022, the added value of the embroidery sector in the prefecture reached 245 million yuan (about $35.67 million), which was 11 times than in 2012. In recent years, the craft of the Yi embroidery has become a tool for rural residents to raise their income, as well as for rural vitalization.