NANNING: The signature embroidery with a centuries-long history of the Dong ethnic group and their modern farmer paintings are breathing new life into Dong people’s intangible cultural heritages while bringing locals considerable incomes.
Dong people mainly live in China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Hunan Province and Guizhou Province. Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County, which sits in a mountainous area at the junction of Hunan, Guangxi and Guizhou, is a densely populated county for Dong people.
The county, with over half of its residents from the Dong ethnic group, has preserved various ancient distinctive handicrafts. Among the cultural heritages is the Dong embroidery, a combination of paper-cutting and flower embroidery skills that has existed for nearly 1,000 years. In the past, due to the poor traffic infrastructure, young generations in the county preferred to work outside their hometown, leaving the place in grinding poverty and the Dong embroidery lacking inheritors.
However, the local government reached out a helping hand, building an inheritance base for the antique craft with training courses and a complete sales network for the embroidery products set up.
Wei Qinghua and her daughter Qin Guizhen co-founded the Qing Hua Embroidery Workshop, dedicated to the inheritance and further promotion of the Dong embroidery. They integrate the Dong embroidery art into decorative rings, earrings, bracelets, and other ornaments.
Now, their handicrafts are also sold online, winning the hearts of young consumers across China. The two also traveled to the United Kingdom, the Republic of Korea, and other foreign countries and regions to display their charmful embroidery.
Their products have participated in various fairs and expos, including the China-ASEAN Expo, and exported to Europe, the United States, and Southeast Asia. “Our embroiderers are constantly improving their skills, replacing ordinary cotton yarns with threads of brighter colors. Their adaption has made the patterns even more colorful than before,” said Wei Qinghua. –Agencies
