Guizhou's embroidery project helps vitalize rural areas

Guizhou women have benefited from the Jinxiu Plan and become skilled embroiderers. [Photo/ddcpc website]

2023 marked the 10th anniversary of the Jinxiu Project, which has brought significant changes to the unique handicraft industry for Guizhou women in rural areas since its implementation in 2013.

After a decade of training and practice under the plan, Guizhou's embroiderers have become talented artisans with a variety of skills, including craftsmanship, preservation, innovation, design, integration, promotion, and sales.

The scope of ethnic embroidery techniques has expanded, with ethnic embroidery, wax printing, and clothing becoming the most important and competitive industries under the Jinxiu Plan. The plan has been hailed as a "symbolic project for poverty alleviation among women" and lauded as "one of the most effective ways to vitalize rural areas."

Over the past 10 years, the joint conference of the Jinxiu Plan has played a coordinating and collaborative role, resulting in the investment of over 1.1 billion yuan ($154 million) and the issuing of a series of documents to ensure the high-quality development of the plan.

After 10 years, the plan has led not only to the mastery of a craft but also leadership positions for many. A group of experienced embroiderers has become essential to Guizhou women's handicrafts, while a vibrant and open-minded younger generation has emerged as a new force in the industry.