Villagers stitch a better life with Miao embroidery in SW China

Huawu village, cradled deep in Wumeng Mountain and beneath towering cliffs in southwest China's Guizhou Province, unfolds like a traditional Chinese painting.

Yang Wenli, a Miao embroiderer born after 1995, is a leading figure in the village's Miao embroidery industry. In 2019, Yang returned to her hometown here in Qianxi, a county-level city under Bijie in Guizhou, to start her own business, hoping to provide more job opportunities for villagers at their doorstep.

Backed by supportive policies, Yang established a Miao embroidery workshop to alleviate poverty in the village. During the fight against poverty, earmarked funds helped the workshop purchase equipment, and it was granted rent-free access to production facilities.

The workshop has grown from an initial team of six local middle-aged and elderly women to a workforce of more than 60.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visited the village ahead of the 2021 Spring Festival. He stepped into the workshop to learn about the development of the specialty Miao embroidery industry and the preservation of traditional ethnic culture.

"Miao embroidery is both traditional and fashionable, and stitch by stitch, you've created something truly remarkable!" Xi said, encouraging the embroiderers to carry forward the art.

He pointed out that it is both a cultural treasure and an industry, and if well developed, it will not only promote ethnic and traditional culture, but also alleviate poverty through industrial development and advance rural revitalization.

"Now, our goal is not only to craft outstanding products, but also to share the story of Miao embroidery," Yang said.

Over the years, Yang has taught embroiderers design skills and how to sell via livestream, and helped establish more than 20 embroidery workshops in and around Gaojin village in Qianxi.

To expand the application of embroidered products, Yang built a professional design team to combine tradition with fashion. By weaving embroidery and batik into clothing, accessories and creative cultural products, Miao embroidery has travelled beyond the mountains and to the world.

Her journey from seeking opportunities alone to bringing opportunities and prosperity for more offers a vivid glimpse into China's fight against poverty and its ongoing drive for rural revitalization.

"The needles and threads connect us not only to our culture, but also to a better life," the young embroiderer said.