Peony-themed knitted flowers leads villagers to prosperity

Lin teaches a student to crochet flowers. [Photo by Zhang Chi for chinadaily.com.cn]

At the Lin Jiexiang Studio of the new era civilization practice center in Bandi town, Dingtao district, Heze, Shandong province, Lin Jiexiang, a practitioner of crochet and knitting, was seen busily creating knitted peonies. 

"A bouquet of knitted peonies costs around 200 yuan ($27.64), and if you crochet full-time, you can earn 4,000 to 5,000 yuan a month," explained Lin. "Currently, I have five apprentices who, while taking care of their children and managing household chores, can earn over 2,000 yuan a month by knitting in their spare time to supplement their family income."

So far, the studio has attracted more than 20 villagers. In order to help everyone get started quickly, the new era civilization practice center in Bandi town holds on-site teaching sessions every week, demonstrating commonly-used crochet techniques to the participants.

"Nowadays, we mainly sell our products online and provide customized services based on customer requirements. We don't worry about sales, as orders are plentiful. However, the output is limited due to insufficient manpower. I plan to encourage more villagers to join us," said Lin. (Edited by Huang Junyao)