Tan Chaoyan, a young woman in Wuzhishan city, south China's Hainan Province, was ecstatic when she heard that the traditional Li textile techniques of spinning, dyeing, weaving, and embroidering were added to the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Dec. 5, 2024. A model presents a creation featuring Li brocade elements during Paris Fashion Week in France.
(Xinhua/Gao Jing) The traditional Li textile techniques are employed by women of the Li ethnic group in Hainan Province to make cotton, hemp and other natural fibers into clothing and other daily necessities. Born in the 1990s, Tan began learning the traditional Li textile techniques at an early age under the direction of her grandmother and mother. After graduating from college, she chose to return to her hometown and established a Li brocade studio in 2015 to pass on Li brocade.
Four years later, Tan set up her own company on Li brocade culture. Last year, the company's sales volume exceeded 700,000 yuan (about $96,400). Tan attributed her company's success to the remarkable progress in the protection of Li brocade and the craft's presence on the international stage.
At this year's Paris Fashion Week, models presented creations featuring Li brocade elements on the runway. To make Li brocade trendy and international, Wuzhishan city collaborated with Italy's top art school Istituto Marangoni to launch a talent trai.
