Witnessing heritage: Xi's cultural encounters (7)

President Xi Jinping has always emphasized the importance of protecting and promoting intangible cultural heritage. Following in his footsteps, let's explore the outstanding Chinese intangible cultural heritage. 

Today, we highlight the Xuzhou sachet, small cloth bags filled with herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine and embroidered with delicate, colorful patterns. People wear the scented sachets to repel insects, ward off evil spirits and hope for a happy life.

During his visit to Mazhuang village in Xuzhou city, Jiangsu province, on Dec 12, 2017, Xi viewed a display of various sachets made by local villagers who sell them as souvenirs and spoke with Wang Xiuying, a veteran inheritor of the sachet-making craft.

Holding one in his hand, Xi praised her craftsmanship and bought a sachet. "I'd like to buy one to support your business," he said.

Xi emphasized that developing local characteristic industries and economies is an important way to accelerate agricultural and rural modernization.

Nowadays, by combining tradition with innovation, the local sachet industry is thriving, with more than 1,000 villagers participating and generating 20 million yuan ($2.86 million) in sales in 2025.