Lin Jie, who is a veteran and runs a company in Xiangxi named Xiangxi Miaoxiu Essence Cultural Industrial Development Company, was discussing the construction of a water park with workers by the river.
Helping Miao embroidery go global
In 1993, after retirement, Lin Jie was arranged to work at the people’s hospital of Jishou City. Lin Jie had a narrow escape in a sudden car accident. He understood the preciousness of life and made up his mind to pursue a career.
In 2000, he decisively resigned and started his own business. Although accumulating some wealth, he couldn’t find direction.
His wife Yi Hua resigned from a telecommunications company due to her love for Miao embroidery and worked tirelessly for it. Lin Jie seemed to see a beam of light.
On the one hand, he was inspired by his wife’s persistence, and on the other hand, his years of experience in business gave him a keen insight into the development prospects of the cultural and tourism industry.
Over the past six years, the company has made steady progress. Miao embroidery products have been repeatedly presented to international friends as “national gifts” and have appeared at multiple international events and national exhibitions.
In recent years, the company has won multiple national honors, including a national demonstration base for productive protection of ICH and a national demonstration base for cultural industry.
Now, the company has established cooperation with many well-known enterprises and scenic spots such as BMW, Ctrip and Guangdong Museum to expand the market of Miao embroidery and related ethnic cultural industries.
The company held over 300 training sessions of Miao embroidery in Jishou, Huayuan, Fenghuang and other places, with 20,000 people receiving training. More than 2,000 left-behind rural women worked at their doorstep through product orders.
Revitalizing culture in rural areas
Handbags, clothing and ornaments embroidered with exquisite patterns such as flowers, butterflies and copper coins are displayed in shops and enter people’s daily lives, becoming fashionable items.
The company has been making efforts to inherit Miao embroidery and develop derivative products.
Lin Jie introduced that Zhonghuang Village is their first stop to integrate the ICH projects of Xiangxi with rural tourism, innovate scenarios to bring ICH to life, and create local cultural products.
Backed by the green mountains, the Babenduo ICH themed homestay inn features antique wooden houses that blend seamlessly with the Miao village. In the homestay inn, you will see that large Miao silver ornaments are pasted on the red walls, with wooden carvings featuring butterflies, flowers and auspicious clouds on both sides. Various types of Miao embroidery adorn the guestrooms.
“‘Babenduo’ means ‘butterfly’ in Miao language. In ancient times, the Miao ethnic group was called Jiuli tribe, and butterflies are the spiritual totem of the Miao people. We positioned the project in Zhonghuang Village as ‘Jiuli Butterfly Village’,” said Lin Jie.
There are now four companies for sales, ancient architecture, creative design and others under the “Miaoxiu Essence” brand. “We already have the core capability for cultural and tourism development,” said Lin Jie, hoping to be the preferred supplier for providing one-stop services for local cultural development, application and operation in ethnic areas. They also aim to transform Miao culture, integrate it into rural scenic spots or cultural tourism projects, and help improve the quality of tourism in ethnic areas.
The X077 Tourist Road along the banks of the Qiabi River is nestled in mountains, passing through 9 villages including Zhonghuang, Yanke and Qiabi. “In recent years, with the increase of similar scenic spots and upgrade of consumption, we need to launch diversified tourism products to attract tourists,” said Lin Jie. In the future, they will build a cultural experience corridor for Xiangxi’s ICH among 9 villages, providing tourists with a new experience.
Chinese source: hunantoday
