Embroidery, wax painting and batik took center stage at a traditional handicraft competition and ethnic fashion show in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Guizhou Province. The event on Friday aimed to tap the rich resources of traditional handicrafts, helping women increase their incomes.

【Portuguese Cultural Official: “Embroidery in My Hometown Was Learned From China”】 A delegation of cultural officials from nine Portuguese-speaking countries recently visited Guangzhou. During a hands-on Cantonese embroidery session at the city’s historic Yongqing Fang precinct, Luís Filipe Reis dos Santos, Director-General of the General Directorate of Books, Archives and Libraries under Portugal’s Ministry of Culture, noted that the same embroidery craft exists in his hometown — and it was originally introduced from China.

Italian designers try Miao embroidery in Kaili, Guizhou. With every stitch and thread, they experience the exquisite craftsmanship of Guizhou's Miao embroidery. This cross-cultural exchange is truly fascinating! #ItalianFriendsAmazedByGuizhou# #EveryoneFallsInLoveWithGuizhou#

Tiaohua cross-stitch embroidery is a traditional handicraft passed down through generations by women of Huayao, a branch of Yao ethnic group, in Longhui County. The origin of Tiaohua cross-stitch embroidery dates back to the Han Dynasty (202 B.C. - 220 A.D.) and reached maturity during the Ming (1368 - 1644) and Qing (1644 - 1911) dynasties. The embroideries feature a unique "Qingsha" stitching skill, and are improvised with silk threads on blue homespun cloth without pre-drawn designs. Even an ordinary embroidered tube skirt may contain hundreds of thousands of stitches, requiring several months or even years to complete. In 2006, Longhui Huayao Tiaohua embroidery making skill was listed in the first batch of the national intangible cultural heritages. Since the Huayao people have no written language, Tiaohua embroidery has played an important role in preserving their cultural and historical heritage, earning it the title "a wordless history book worn on the body." "Every pattern has a spiritual meaning behind," said Shen Yanxi, a provincial-level inheritor of Tiaohua. Over the centuries, Tiaohua cross-stitch embroidery has changed in style, with patterns and colors being renewed to better suit contemporary aesthetics. In recent years, Longhui County has promoted the preservation and innovation of Tiaohua by leveraging cultural tourism, digital preservation, and projects introducing intangible cultural heritage into campuses, bringing this traditional skill, once secluded in remote areas, to a wider audience around the world.

In Qinghua Embroidery Studio in Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, 61-year-old Wei Qinghua and her daughter Qin Guizhen sit side by side by the window, showcasing a remarkable skill—without any preliminary sketching, a gentle turn of the wrist brings a butterfly motif to life. Dong embroidery is a combination of weaving, printing and dyeing, paper-cutting and embroidery skills. Wei is a representative inheritor of this intangible cultural heritage. "In recent years, more young people in the village have chosen to work elsewhere, but when they return home, they still want to wear traditional ethnic clothing. Many people come to me to buy finished embroidered garments, which makes me feel this craft still has market potential," Wei said. In 2018, Wei established Qinghua Embroidery Studio and introduced an innovative model that brings together enterprises, bases, inheritors, embroiderers and orders, helping local rural women find employment and increase their income close to home. Together, the mother and daughter have trained over 3,000 embroiderers and helped nearly 300 left-behind women secure employment. Yang Huaying is one of the beneficiaries. "I used to work outside, and my children became left-behind kids. Now I can do embroidery at home and earn an extra 4,000 to 5,000 yuan (about $590-$737) a year while still taking care of my family," she said.

Shui horsetail embroidery from Guizhou, made a stunning debut at the #ICH2026# in #Paris#. Craftswoman Yang Mei, a prefecture‑level inheritor, showcased her masterpieces, earning high praise from UNESCO representatives and Paris municipal officials. #HorsetailEmbroidery#