Hani Embroidery of Yuanyang County in Honghe

Transforming Women’s Lives Through Hani Embroidery

In Panzhihua Township (攀枝花乡), Yuanyang County (元阳县), a place called the “Panzhihua Township Mengnong Embroidery Farmers’ Professional Cooperative” (攀枝花乡猛弄刺绣农民专业合作社) is quietly changing the lives of local women. Through the establishment of this cooperative, the traditional ethnic handicrafts have been passed down, and new employment opportunities have been opened for local women. The traditional skills of intangible cultural heritage (非遗技艺) are being transformed into a “key to prosperity.”

In the cooperative, under the guidance of Su Qiongzhen (苏琼珍), the legal representative, the women from the Yi ethnic group (彝族) are skillfully embroidering intricate patterns, creating vibrant and culturally rich garments, bags, cushions, and accessories. These embroidered products not only showcase the women’s exquisite craftsmanship but also transmit the charm of intangible cultural heritage.

Blending Traditional Craftsmanship with Modern Innovation

“We invited professional designers to settle in the folk embroidery base, organized seven experienced embroiderers to focus on designing and developing new embroidery pieces, combining local ethnic features with contemporary elements,” said Su Qiongzhen. “We also set up live streaming platforms on Douyin (抖音), Kuaishou (快手), and Taobao (淘宝), hiring influencers to drive the sales of embroidery products online.”

Panzhihua Township has abundant ethnic cultural resources, and Mengnong Embroidery (猛弄刺绣) is a traditional Yi embroidery technique passed down through generations in Mengnong Village (猛弄村). Many local minority women possess these handicraft skills. However, due to a lack of large-scale products and limited market and sales channels, these skills were not fully utilized for economic benefits.

In 2023, the Panzhihua Township Party Committee (攀枝花乡党委) guided the village party organization to establish a standardized embroidery “workshop,” registering the Mengnong Folk Embroidery (猛弄民绣) trademark. They adopted a development model of “Party organization + company + cooperative + inheritance base + embroiderers” to integrate raw material procurement, technical support, management training, embroidery standards, production, and sales under a unified system. This approach helps women increase their income through the development of ethnic embroidery industries, driving the simultaneous development of embroidery craftsmanship and women’s employment.

Empowering Local Women and Promoting Cultural Heritage

As of now, the intangible cultural heritage workshop (非遗工坊) has stabilized the employment of 10 embroiderers working full-time. They have launched an online store on Taobao and opened a branch in the county city. More than 20 new products have been developed. Additionally, over 10,000 teachers and students from Vietnam (越南), Kunming University of Science and Technology (昆明理工大学), and Yunnan Arts University (云南艺术学院) have visited the cooperative for research and design projects. The cooperative receives over 20,000 tourists annually, boosting the collective village economy by over 150,000 yuan, and providing fixed embroiderers with an annual income increase of over 5,000 yuan per household.

Li Shifen (李世芬), a representative inheritor of the state-level intangible cultural heritage (州级非物质文化遗产代表性传承人), joined the cooperative and now earns a fixed salary of 30,000 yuan per year, with an additional 20,000 yuan from embroidery products. She has transformed from a rural woman into a “craft master.”

A Cultural and Artistic Legacy of Hani and Yi Ethnic Groups

The Hani (哈尼族) and Yi (彝族) cultures shine brightly through the embroidery process. The traditional ethnic rhythms come alive at the fingertips of the artisans, as the needle dances through fabric and threads, creating stunning patterns that reflect the landscapes, customs, and histories of these ethnic groups. The people of Hani and Yi descent have used their embroidered fabrics to tell stories of their culture, their land, and their way of life.

The Hani Rice Terraces (哈尼梯田), with their thousands of years of history, are often depicted in these embroidery designs, representing the rich natural beauty of the region. The Mengnong Tusi (猛弄土司), a historical figure from Mengnong Village, is also a common motif, reflecting the deep cultural heritage of this region.

Unique Natural and Cultural Landscape of Panzhihua Township

Located in the southern part of Yuanyang County (元阳县), Panzhihua Township (攀枝花乡) boasts famous natural landscapes, including the Thousand-Year-Old Tiger Mouth Terraces (千年老虎嘴梯田), the Yakou Time Tunnel Terraces (垭口时光隧道梯田), the Hundred-Year-Old Imperial Office of Mengnong (百年皇封世袭猛弄司署), and the well-preserved Yakou Traditional Hani Mushroom Houses (垭口传统哈尼蘑菇房). These are among the many distinctive natural features that attract tourists from all over.

Besides its natural beauty, Panzhihua Township is also rich in ethnic culture (民族文化), particularly in its traditional embroidery (传统民族刺绣). The embroidery techniques have been passed down through generations of hard-working Hani (哈尼族) and Yi (彝族) women, combining practicality and artistry. The patterns merge ethnic characteristics with cultural elements and modern styles, sparking a fusion of traditional and contemporary art forms.

The main products are ethnic costumes (民族服饰), but the collection has expanded to include items such as briefcases, tea sets, scarves, shoes, and backpacks.

The Art of Mengnong Embroidery

Mengnong Embroidery is renowned for its exquisite craftsmanship, focusing on meticulous, intricate needlework with a blend of hand embroidery and machine processing. The primary themes in the embroidery designs include terraced fields, water systems, villages, and forests, using plain cloth as a canvas to depict the natural beauty of the region. The patterns reflect the vibrant and timeless beauty of the Hani Rice Terraces (哈尼梯田) and the cultural history of Mengnong Village (猛弄村), integrating traditional features like the Hani Long Street Feast (哈尼长街宴) and the Hundred-Year-Old Mengnong Tusi (百年猛弄土司).

The embroidery not only represents the stunning landscapes but also weaves cultural heritage into each stitch. When Hani and Yi people wear these embroidered garments, the beauty of the deep mountains comes to life, moving with them as they walk, allowing the world to witness the magnificence of their heritage.

Linking Ethnic Embroidery with Tourism and Rural Development

As part of efforts to effectively link poverty alleviation with rural revitalization, Panzhihua Township has organically combined the ethnic embroidery industry with the tourism culture sector. By establishing the “Folk Embroidery” cooperative with the embroiderers (绣娘) as its core members, they have solved the challenge of allowing rural women to both care for their families and increase their income. The cooperative has now developed over 200 members, with more than 1,000 embroidery practitioners. Each fixed embroiderer can earn an additional 4,000 yuan per year.

In the future, Yuanyang County (元阳县) will continue to explore ethnic handicrafts and products, guiding and nurturing industries such as embroidery, actively promoting the high-quality development of the embroidery industry, and helping more women in the region earn an income without leaving their homes.