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In Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, there is a saying: "Every Yi child who can hold chopsticks can embroider." Since childhood, Chen Haiyan, a post-00s inheritor of Yi embroidery, has loved watching her grandmother and mother work on the craft. Their nimble fingers danced, guiding the needles through the fabric, creating vivid landscapes, the sun and moon, flowers, and animals stitch by stitch.

The traditional embroidery of the Yi ethnic group from Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture is winning the hearts of young consumers and gaining growing popularity in international markets.

Chen Haiyan creates an embroidery work. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

At a local embroidery workshop named Qicai Yi embroidery (colorful Yi embroidery), many of the older artisans have never left the mountains of Yunnan, yet their creations have traveled far and wide, reaching global markets and receiving high praise.

The workshop, founded by Ding Lanying, a provincial-level representative inheritor of Yi embroidery, with support from the local government, has received orders from countries including France, Japan, and Vietnam, according to Ding's daughter Chen.

After purchasing embroidered tablecloths and coasters for his restaurant in Paris, one owner praised the products for their eye-catching and vibrant designs and colors, saying they brought a lively and colorful touch to his establishment, Chen said.

As a well-established traditional craft included in China's list of national-level intangible cultural heritage in 2014, Yi embroidery was once considered "gaudy" and "old-fashioned", while machine-made Yi embroidery products flooded the market with low prices and homogeneous designs.

Chen became the sixth-generation embroiderer of her family at the age of 12.

After completing her university studies in 2022, she returned to her hometown with the ambition of modernizing Yi embroidery and making it more appealing to younger and global audiences.

"I was determined to showcase the diverse possibilities and unique charm of Yi embroidery," Chen recalled.

Setting out to change young people's perception that Yi embroidery is beautiful but too bold in its colors and patterns for everyday wear, Chen began adapting the craft to contemporary tastes while preserving its cultural roots.

Under her leadership, artisans at the Qicai Yi embroidery workshop started experimenting with softer, more subtle color palettes and transforming traditional, realistic designs into more abstract, artistic patterns.

These adjustments have effectively made their embroidery works more wearable and easier to incorporate into everyday fashion.

The efforts of Chen and her team soon bore fruit.

In 2023, Chen's Yi embroidery works, namely an embroidered notebook and a three-dimensional floral crossbody bag, were collected by Dali University in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. A cloth bag featuring Yi embroidery patterns designed by Chen was selected as part of the Spring Festival gift package by the Chinese embassy in Indonesia.

That same year, with the help of Southeast University in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, the Qicai Yi embroidery workshop launched a series of Yi embroidery pieces inspired by the Mogao Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its rich collections of Buddhist artworks in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province.

These innovative embroidery works, blending ancient Yi embroidery with the elements of Chinese Buddhist art, helped Yi embroidery shine with renewed vigor.

As they were exhibited at the Jinling Art Museum in Nanjing, these exquisite embroidery works wowed visitors from around the world.

Thanks to Chen's efforts, the workshop collaborated with well-known international brands, developing over 200 fashion items featuring Yi embroidery. This has successfully transformed the image of Yi embroidery from an outdated craft to a modern, high-end art form.

In 2024, sales revenue from these collaborations surpassed 4 million yuan ($550,000), with 10 percent of the products being exported to international markets.

Additionally, traditional costumes of the Yi ethnic group created by the Qicai Yi embroidery workshop have graced international fashion stages, including Milan Fashion Week, attracting global attention to the distinctive culture of the Yi ethnic group.

With Yi embroidery gaining growing popularity at home and abroad, the income of artisans in the workshop has risen significantly. Some embroiderers who were previously unemployed now earn up to 4,000 yuan per month.

"The more distinctive an ethnic culture is, the more appealing it is to the outside world,” Chen said.

As the youngest county-level representative inheritor of the traditional costumes of the Yi ethnic group in Nanhua county, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Chen is confident that Yi embroidery will continue to shine with brilliance on the international stage.