Millennia-old traditional crafts generate wealth for farmers in SW China's Guizhou

Embroiderers test embroidery machines at a wax printing and embroidery cooperative in Zhuchang township, Nayong county, Bijie city, southwest China's Guizhou Province, on Jan. 5, 2026. (Photo/Yang Ying)

In the depths of winter, when the cold cuts to the bone, warmth fills the workshop of a wax printing and embroidery cooperative in Zhuchang township, Nayong county, Bijie city, southwest China's Guizhou province. Inside, women work intently to fulfill more than 500 pending orders, their nimble fingers moving swiftly as they revive centuries-old batik and embroidery techniques and transform ancient intangible cultural heritage into a valuable source of income and new hopes for higher earnings.

Huang Mei, head of the cooperative, explained that the orders come from clients in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province. Founded in 2019, the cooperative not only preserves traditional crafts like wax printing and embroidery but also produces creative cultural products that blend patterns of the Miao ethnic group with modern aesthetics. These products are sold in regions such as Jiangsu, Guangdong, and Shanghai. The cooperative employs over 30 skilled embroiderers.

Wang Li, an employee at the cooperative, has secured a stable income thanks to her exquisite skills. "I've been working here since the cooperative was founded. I can earn between 30,000 and 40,000 yuan (about $4,300 to $5,733) a year, while also being able to take care of both the young and elderly in my family. It's far better than working away from home," she said.

From "fingertip skills" to a "fingertip economy," the growth of the cooperative has enabled Miao embroiderers to stitch a brocade of prosperity with needle and thread, while allowing a thousand-year-old intangible cultural heritage to be passed down and revitalized in a workshop full of everyday warmth and vitality.

Embroiderers test embroidery machines at a wax printing and embroidery cooperative in Zhuchang township, Nayong county, Bijie city, southwest China's Guizhou Province, on Jan. 5, 2026. (Photo/Yang Ying)

Embroiderers work at a wax printing and embroidery cooperative in Zhuchang township, Nayong county, Bijie city, southwest China's Guizhou Province, on Jan. 5, 2026. (Photo/Yang Ying)

An embroiderer works at a wax printing and embroidery cooperative in Zhuchang township, Nayong county, Bijie city, southwest China's Guizhou Province, on Jan. 5, 2026. (Photo/Yang Ying)

An embroiderer works at a wax printing and embroidery cooperative in Zhuchang township, Nayong county, Bijie city, southwest China's Guizhou Province, on Jan. 5, 2026. (Photo/Yang Ying)

Embroiderers work at a wax printing and embroidery cooperative in Zhuchang township, Nayong county, Bijie city, southwest China's Guizhou Province, on Jan. 5, 2026. (Photo/Yang Ying)