For the past 35 years， Liu Ying， 41， a designer and embroiderer of the Miao ethnic group， has been tirelessly promoting her subtle but vividly unique art. The Miao people mainly live in the southwest of China on a vast rugged land of beauty. Embroidery has a special place in Miao culture， being a decorative art that helps transmit their history and legends， in addition to the traditional oral transmission. From childhood， Miao women learn to embroider from their elders， and Liu is no exception.
　　However， aside from passing on a tradition， Liu looks at their craft from a broader perspective. She set up an embroidery business in Kaili， Guizhou Province. Passionate about Miao culture and embroidery， she wants to spread the art well beyond the mountains. What’s more， the company’s business has lifted more than 5，000 embroiderers in her home region out of poverty.
　　“Embroidery is our treasure. We must preserve this tradition. The best way to pass it on is to revive this traditional art by integrating it into modern life while retaining its cultural features，” Liu told Beijing Review.

A lifelong vocation

　　Born in a small village in Shibing County in Guizhou， Liu learned to embroider at the age of 5. Embroidery is a family affair and a legacy left by her mother and grandmother. For young Miao women，mastering the art of embroidery is above all an essential quality to finding a good husband. Different from other girls， Liu loves painting， another useful skill for designing embroidery works. She uses her needles as a brush to depict their history and totems such as butterflies and frogs. The mother butterfly， one of the most common images in Miao culture， is central to their mythology， according to which the first human beings were born from a butterfly egg. At the age of 10， Liu was already able to design the patterns for her sisters’wedding costumes.
　　Her uncle was a traveling salesman of classic Miao costumes in Lijiang and Dali， Yunnan Province. At a young age， she joined him in touring Miao villages in search of ornamental embroidery. This experience introduced her to life outside her hometown. In 2002， she headed to Beijing to sell handicrafts at the famous Panjiayuan Antique Market. Six months later， she realized that “once sold， the originals are gone forever” and began to seek a way to preserve old artifacts while developing her own career. 　　She had noticed that some works that combined traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design sold well. To test the market， she designed 20 embroidered wall hangings which， to her astonishment， were sold out within two days. “Such a success surprised me a lot and gave me confidence，” she said with a smile.

　　From then on， she started receiving more and more orders. So， she enlisted the help of embroiderers from her home region. “I design the patterns and have them embroidered in Guizhou. I’m happy to see the embroiderers in my area making a living from the help they extend to me，” she said. In 2013， Liu returned to Guizhou and set up her own company， GuMiaoJiang， which specializes in creating Miao ethnic costumes and everyday items. Currently， their handicrafts are sold both at home and abroad.

A lifetime mission

　　Her hometown of Shibing， famous for its Miao embroidery， has more than 10，000 embroiderers. However， about 70 percent of these people used to live below the poverty line. Young people left the villages because they could easily find work in big cities. The arrival of synthetic fabrics and embroidery machines has been welcomed by the remaining embroiderers， allowing them to make clothes more quickly. Liu was afraid that the traditional techniques might be lost， but she never gave up trying. Since 2005， she has been voluntarily training women in the art of embroidery.
　　“I organize at least three training sessions a year， each one with about 300 embroiderers. After the training， they can work independently from their homes，”explained Liu. This not only helps her business grow faster but also ensures that tradition is preserved.
　　In recent years， Liu has been busy designing patterns for her handicrafts， managing her business and paying attention to the development of her home region. She has expanded the training to other counties in Guizhou. This year， her ambition is to cover four more counties. The company receives orders and designs patterns， and village-based embroiderers make the final products. The company sells more than 10，000 embroidered pieces a year， with an annual turnover of more than 20 million yuan （$3 million）. Each embroiderer earns more than 10，000 yuan （$1，527） a year.
　　Aside from trade， Liu wants to preserve history and ethnic art.“The totems on the Miao embroidery designs represent our traditional culture. The handmade work brings some elegance to Miao embroidery and has a deep connotation，”she said， holding up a handbag decorated with Miao embroidery. “In order to preserve and carry on tradition， we need to innovate while keeping the ancient techniques，” she continued.
　　Liu is truly committed to transmitting this intangible cultural heritage. Her biggest wish is to make this ancestral art better known， especially abroad. In 2017， at an art exhibition in France， her embroidery items were highly appreciated by French artists. Her works are now selling well in Europe， North America and Japan.
　　Mother to a 22-year old daughter， it is time to pass on the baton. Her daughter is also passionate about Miao embroidery and， like her mother， has a very creative mind. “I hope that the tradition can be carried on from generation to generation. I am committed to this and I want to fulfill my mission，” Liu told Beijing Review. BR