Women profit as they keep silk ball tradition alive

With support from the local government and aided by the development of a professional cooperative, nearly 100 female residents of Zhaokang village in Xiangfen county of Linfen, Shanxi province, have increased their incomes by making Taiping xiuqiu — balls made with strips of silk.

Taiping silk balls, once popular in ancient Taiping county in southern Shanxi (now Xiangfen county) are traditional auspicious ornaments.

The technique for making the balls was listed as a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage in 2017.

Through the establishment of professional cooperatives and handicraft skills training, the silk balls have become a local cultural brand, generating an annual output value of nearly 1 million yuan ($137,470).