HERITAGE CRAFTS THRIVE IN DIGITAL ERA

An embroidered butterfly made by Liang Zhongmei is so lifelike that it could easily be mistaken for the real thing. It looks as if, in the twinkling of an eye, it could flap its colorful, delicate wings and fly free from its white cloth background.

The 55-year-old embroiderer in Zhenfeng county, Guizhou province, said a novel stitch used by the Bouyei ethnic group is the secret to producing the three-dimensional effect.

"In our culture, the butterfly is the spirit of nature and also represents the sound values of hard work," she added.

Liang, who lost her left arm as a child, opened a workshop at her home, from where she sells her artwork to customers from around the world. She is now a master of the Bouyei embroidery technique and an intangible cultural heritage inheritor. As a result, her life has changed significantly.

During this year's Singles Day shopping festival gala held in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, on Nov 10, a lion doll completed by six embroiderers in eight hours was livestreamed nationwide on television and websites.

"The doll is 30 centimeters tall and 30 cm wide. A number of colorful threads were used for the outer parts, while a golden thread formed the lion's mane. Dragon fruit was used to dye some threads pink," Liang said, adding that the auspicious design aims to bring health and peace to family members.

After the gala, Liang received numerous inquiries. Three customers ordered lion dolls, while some asked to buy other embroidered items. "After returning home, we encouraged young people to learn embroidery, which can increase understanding of our culture," she said.

Liang was born in a closed and underdeveloped village deep in the mountains, where most residents live by farming or as migrant workers. Losing her arm meant she could not feed herself, but she refused to become downhearted, and learned embroidery from her mother.

"I am unable to perform a wide range of tasks, but I'm confident about doing embroidery, although sometimes I prick myself in the leg, which causes bleeding. I have even managed to sew both legs of my trousers together by accident," she said.

Liang gained an enhanced reputation for her embroidery after producing several items featuring butterflies and goldfish that won provincial and national occupational skills awards in 2010 and 2011 among people with disabilities. She was then recognized as a local Bouyei embroidery inheritor.

In 2012, she opened her workshop, with embroiderers putting their designs on the shelves to sell to locals, but business was poor.

However, Liang's career prospered after two online vendors in Beijing and one in Hunan province placed orders. Now, clothes, ties, paintings and handicrafts produced by the workshop are sold to consumers worldwide via e-commerce platforms, with revenue earned by the business reaching from 300,000 yuan to 500,000 yuan ($47,089 to $78,481) annually.

As the number of orders rose, Liang recruited more workers. The workshop has offered jobs to more than 100 female embroiderers in the neighborhood. She has also organized training courses for jobless women.

"Thanks to the online buyers, our products sell well, which has changed our lives and brought us income and dignity," Liang said.

Wang Danqing, an online vendor, has collaborated with Liang's team since 2015, routinely placing orders every month.

"At first, embroiderers didn't trust online vendors, fearing we would possibly cheat them. They doubted whether we could sell their products, or if we would pay. They also questioned our designs," Wang said, adding that it took about six months for both sides to adapt to each other.

She said many young consumers favor products with cultural elements and personal appeal. To meet this demand, she combines intangible cultural heritage with merchandise such as sachets, bags and clothes featuring embroidered designs, batiks and woodcuts.

"Only by blending into modern life can cultural heritage be seen, loved, protected and passed down," she added.

Fast track to success

Like Liang, many intangible cultural heritage inheritors have joined hands with internet and e-commerce platforms to promote their products, increase sales, and generate more revenue.

At the Nov 10 gala, other products featuring such heritage, including iron pans, wood carvings and oil paper umbrellas, were displayed.

Liu Xin, who is in charge of craft workers and the intangible cultural heritage section at e-commerce platform Taobao－one of the gala organizers－said it was the first time the company had invited inheritors on stage.

"We aimed to impress the audience with something new, and inspire more people to learn about traditional Chinese culture," he said, adding that the section, which was established in 2019, shows there is significant potential in the market.

By June, the number of stores selling products related to intangible cultural heritage on Taobao and Tmall had surpassed 35,000. Turnover for such products has grown by more than 20 percent annually, with the number of consumers exceeding 100 million, according to a report released in September by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' public opinion survey laboratory, China Tourism News and Alibaba.

Amid rising national pride and cultural awareness, consumers are turning to more products related to intangible cultural heritage－especially the younger generation. The improved quality of Chinese products, and numerous government programs, are also contributing to this trend, the report said.

Some 40 percent of the craft workers selling on Taobao and Tmall were born after 1990, and more than 98 percent of them said they are confident about running an online store, the report added.

Wu Yongkun, 35, an inheritor of wood carving in Huangshi, Hubei province, regards himself as something of a rebel in his family of carpenters. He learned this trade from his seniors, but chose instead to create products that "conform to the preferences of modern people, and which consumers accept and are willing to pay for".

He and his wife, Shi Dandan, 35, opened a store on Taobao in 2019, selling handmade wooden tableware with designs featuring cats. Their breadboards, chopsticks, spoons, forks and plates were shown on stage at the gala in Hangzhou.

Shi said:"Many people associate wood carving with temples, ancient buildings or even towns... We want to turn cultural relics into cultural resources that are commonly seen in daily life."

She added that using cats as a design element for traditional wood carving is aimed at spreading positive energy, and this has proved popular with consumers.

The store's sales rose by 113 percent year-on-year during last month's shopping festival. Most of its clients are women aged 18 to 35, who love cats and favor personalized products.

Shi said that in addition to driving the couple's business, e-commerce helps more people familiarize themselves with wood carving through videos and photographs. She and her husband expect to design more competitive products by analyzing trading data to better meet market demand.

Wu said many intangible cultural heritage techniques are vanishing because related products "are being left behind".

"I want to show the various possibilities for traditional wood carving and inspire more young people to embrace it, in order to change the situation in which no one is inheriting such techniques," he said.

For young people such as Meng Xiangjun, 29, returning to such traditions may offer a faster route to success.

Meng, a lighting designer, worked for a company in Beijing for 18 months before deciding to escape the pressures of life and replan his future. He thought that returning home to Yinan county, Shandong province, to launch his own e-commerce store, featuring low costs, quick marketing and broad access to consumers, was a good idea.

His mother, Yin Huiju, an inheritor of the Yangdu straw-plaiting technique, which is used to make products such as hats, bags and shoes, was one of the first people in the county to commercialize this cultural heritage. She learned the handicraft when she was 14, opened factories in the 1990s and now sells straw-plaited products to overseas customers.

Her success paved the way for her son's entrepreneurial venture. Meng quit his job in 2018 to open an online store selling straw-plaited bags featuring his own designs. The bags are made by elderly female workers at his mother's factories.

"Many locals plant corn. We recycle corn leaves, dye and dry them, before plaiting them into fashionable bags, which sell for more than 100 yuan on Taobao," he said.

This technique was inscribed on the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2008. Meng displayed his two most popular products on stage during the Nov 10 gala.

"Previously, we received orders from foreign companies and produced items based on their designs, but there was no way of knowing who bought them or if customers liked the products. But now, thanks to e-commerce, we can contact consumers directly, which helps us improve our products and service," said Meng, whose store makes a monthly profit of about 50,000 yuan to 60,000 yuan.

In the new media era, the way in which information is spread offers a new avenue for inheritance and innovation of intangible cultural heritage, whose development is becoming more diverse and open, he said. The rising sense of awareness about ethnic culture, and the nation's emphasis on it, also offer good opportunities.

"As demand for cultural consumption increases, customers are favoring products related to intangible cultural heritage that feature a long history and fine quality," Meng said.

He is now applying to become an inheritor. Yin, his mother, said she never expected her son to be willing to return home to join the business, but she is proud of his achievements in breaking away from traditional selling methods and building his own brand.

"He has made great progress in the past two years, and I am glad to see more people beginning to appreciate this handicraft," she said.

Great potential

Jason Yu, general manager of consultancy Kantar Worldpanel China, said the number of consumers favoring intangible cultural heritage, and the amount they spend on it, demonstrate a clear growth trend as their recognition of traditional Chinese culture deepens.

"From being satisfied with sufficient food and clothing, to achieving moderate prosperity and on the way to becoming wealthy, Chinese people develop a strong demand for cultural consumption," he said.

On the supply side, more products have moved online. E-commerce platforms are also promoting products related to intangible cultural heritage by establishing special channels. Inheritors, who previously ran individual workshops or offline stores, are increasing their influence through authorized channels and support from reputable platforms.

Yu sees great potential for the sector, which covers a wide range of products and has high commercial and social value.

Li Yuanyuan, deputy director of the National Base for International Cultural Trade (Beijing), said cultural commodities closely linked to people's lives, such as food, other daily necessities and souvenirs, are the most popular items for online sales.

"E-commerce platforms have widened their sales channels, but without good quality, they won't be accepted by the market," she said, adding that craft workers now need to meet higher artistic standards.

Li said the unique cultural and time-honored qualities of products need to be maintained to avoid similar items being produced.

Kathy Jiang, principal at consultancy Roland Berger, said continuous consumption upgrading and the rising popularity of Chinese products have driven the rapid development of items related to intangible cultural heritage.

In addition to selling online, some inheritors also try their hand at livestreaming, online games and collaborating with celebrities to promote their products, she said.

Jiang added that they also need to balance tradition with innovation that caters to consumers, and also observe the spirit of patience and perseverance among craft workers, instead of seeking short-term profit.

"E-commerce is a good engine for driving development of intangible cultural heritage, but to maintain market vitality, overconsumption and poor quality should be avoided," she said.

Wang Jin in Guiyang contributed to this story.