In a wooden stilt house in Luomian village, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Miao embroidery designer Jiao Hongxiu, dressed in modernized Miao costumes, was instructing an embroiderer to add silver ornament elements to a geometric pattern to create something both traditional and fashionable.

Miao embroidery designer Jiao Hongxiu (1st R) instructs embroiderers to make handicrafts in Luomian village, Lushan town, Kaili city, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Photo/Luo Yibi)

"Embroidery products from our rural courtyards are sold to megacities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, and have even graced the runways of international fashion weeks," said Jiao Renfang, a resident in Luomian village, Lushan town, Kaili city.

As the village's first female college graduate, Jiao Hongxiu could have settled into a teaching position. But under her mother's influence, she resigned from her job and returned home, using her savings to dedicate herself to Miao embroidery.

"How can we breathe new life into ancient craftsmanship?" With this question in mind, she traveled to study at China Academy of Art, ventured deep into Miao villages to collect traditional patterns, and combined them with modern geometric designs, using her fine arts expertise to deconstruct and reconstruct them.

In 2018, Jiao Hongxiu established her personal studio, and her designs that blended ethnic characteristics and contemporary fashion gained popularity among consumers.

In 2021, she decided to relocate her studio back to her family's old house nestled halfway up the mountain in the village.

"Creating designs in my own courtyard saves on rent. I can hand orders directly to village embroiderers for immediate production, and they can come to me anytime with questions," she said.

Her father converted the two-storey loft into a design workshop to support her entrepreneurial dream. Jiao Hongxiu personally taught embroiderers to sketch with pencils, combine patterns and lines according to their preferences, and produce clothing accessories, home goods and creative and cultural products that meet modern aesthetic standards.

"Don't let the small courtyard fool you—the policy and financial support we've received has been substantial," she added.

She also accelerated efforts to help embroiderers transform their once-idle old houses into embroidery workshops.

Jiao Renfang, a seasoned embroiderer who began needlework at age 16, can now skillfully craft refined handbags, shoes and other products, earning extra income of more than 30,000 yuan ($4,183) annually.

Nearly four years since returning home, Jiao Hongxiu has trained over 1,000 embroiderers, directly helping 20 embroiderers from her village and surrounding areas develop the courtyard economy, increasing their monthly income by over 2,000 yuan.

"We also plan to leverage our family courtyard to offer live-streamed Miao embroidery training and immersive study programs, sending more embroiderers' works beyond the mountains and bringing Miao fashion into more people's daily lives," she said.