Inheritor passes on Miao embroidery through innovation in SW China's Guizhou

Embroiderers work on embroidery works in a workshop in Taijiang county, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (People's Daily Online/Weng Qiyu)

At 9 p.m., Shi Chuanying, a 47-year-old inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of Miao embroidery, and several other embroiderers were still working on embroidery works in a workshop in Taijiang county, southwest China's Guizhou Province.

The two-story workshop displays stylish handmade Miao embroidery clothes with rich patterns. It's hard to imagine that clothes made by embroiderers from this small workshop were presented during the Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy.

In September 2023, models presented 44 fashionable creations incorporating Guizhou's Miao embroidery elements brought by Shi during the Milan Fashion Week.

An embroiderer works on a piece of embroidery in a workshop in Taijiang county, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (People's Daily Online/Weng Qiyu)

Shi, born in Shidong township with profound Miao culture, began to learn Miao embroidery when she was 8 years old.

Despite her extensive experience, Shi isn't bound by traditional methods. She integrates traditional Miao embroidery with modern fashion elements.

Shi has designed over 30 types of fashionable Miao embroidery products, including qipaos, notebooks, and handbags, by incorporating traditional patterns of Miao embroidery into modern elements.

Shi Chuanying introduces Miao embroidery skills in a workshop in Taijiang county, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (People's Daily Online/Tu Min)

Today, Shi's Miao embroidery products are sought after by domestic and international buyers. She has also brought wealth to over 300 local embroiderers.

"I never thought I could support my family with our ancestral embroidery skills," said Liu Yonghua, a local embroiderer. She, like many others, has embraced a new life through embroidery.

Photo shows exquisite Miao embroidery creations in a workshop in Taijiang county, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (People's Daily Online/Chen Jiequan)