Traditional crafts boost rural vitalization in Shandong's Chengwu

[Video provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In a village in Chengwu county, Heze, Shandong province, a local intangible cultural heritage workshop is bustling with activity.

Here, Shen Yuling, an inheritor of the art of weaving with rattan strips, meticulously crafts exquisite products by threading, inserting, bending, and folding. Rattan weaving, with its long history, has gained popularity in the market.

According to Shen, the workshop not only brings stable income opportunities to locals but also ensures the continuation of her craft, a source of great personal satisfaction.

Similarly, the traditional handmade cloth shoe industry is thriving, with many villagers learning to make traditional tiger-head shoes. Each step, from selecting fabric to cutting patterns and making soles and shoe uppers, requires precision in size, technique, and strength.

Handmade cloth shoes, as a traditional craft, are an important source of employment for women. The workshop has transformed this old craft into a new industry, inspiring many women to learn the craft and make a living locally.

Although each of the village's workshops are small in scale, they provide villagers with stable income, showing tremendous potential for promoting shared prosperity.

In recent years, Chengwu county has begun utilizing idle community resources to create these workshops and explore its local intangible cultural heritage resources more deeply. It has transformed traditional skills into sources of income, balancing the preservation of traditional intangible cultural heritage and the revitalization of rural culture. (Edited by Xie Zhenzhen)