In the highlands of Qiaoqi Tibetan Township in Ya'an City, Sichuan Province, Nengkaman's journey began not with a thread, but with a camera. Starting in 2014, the now 40-year-old Tibetan woman documented the daily life and culture of her homeland, only to notice through her lens that the traditional crafts of yak wool weaving and Qiaoqi waistband making—once essential skills for local women—were quietly disappearing.

Determined to act, she founded a weaving studio in 2016. Here, she masterfully blended time-honored Tibetan techniques with contemporary designs, creating a line of handcrafted backpacks, scarves, and waistbands sold both online and offline. 

As orders grew, she shared the work with other women in her village, providing much-needed off-season income. Today, her initiative supports flexible employment for over 50 women, with annual earnings ranging from 3,000 ($420) to 30,000 yuan ($4,200) per person. 

From lens to loom

Nengkaman's impact has since gained formal recognition. She is now a municipal-level inheritor of the Qiaoqi Waistband Weaving Technique, and her studio has been designated an Outstanding Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Workshop in Sichuan. Her reputation has attracted collaborations with fashion brands and partnerships with institutions like Tsinghua University.

Her mission continues to expand. Now, she not only provides weaving training for local women but also frequently participates in nationwide exchange programs. Last year, at the China Rural Women Artisans Training Program in Beijing, she joined 60 artisans from many ethnic groups to explore fusion techniques, resulting in new product lines that blend their weaving traditions. Through these cross-cultural and cross-sector collaborations, yak wool is being reimagined, gaining new relevance. 

"She was originally a very traditional Tibetan woman. It was her love for our hometown's culture that motivated her to start this venture, and we believe it is truly meaningful," Nengkaman's husband Atai told local newspaper Ya'an Daily.

This passion has not only preserved ethnic traditional skills but has also created jobs and income for more women. "Now, more and more tourists come to visit our studio after hearing about us, and more women contact me hoping to join the weaving work," Nengkaman said.

Yong Zhongchu, another villager who has become a weaver in the workshop, added, "I believe our handicraft skills and traditional culture will bring us better returns and an improved quality of life."

Nengkaman's story is a powerful local example of a broader national trend. The white paper titled China's Achievements in Women's Well-Rounded Development in the New Era, released by the State Council Information Office on September 19, highlights that by passing down traditional crafts and facilitating cultural innovation and dissemination, women are injecting new vitality into ethnic cultures. "Among the 3,997 recognized representative bearers of the ICH items on the national list, 25 percent are women," the white paper stated. "The research and training program for ICH bearers has provided training for 51,000 people, with women accounting for 57 percent."

Under the plan on revitalizing traditional Chinese craftsmanship and the specialized initiatives to revitalize rural areas by promoting ICH, many women have played a leading role in transforming local natural resources and rural cultural assets into cultural products and industries.

New business models such as "ICH plus guesthouses," "ICH plus cultural products" and "ICH plus study trips" have also been launched in recent years, with women playing an active role and breathing new life into traditional ethnic cultures. The rise of digital technology has allowed traditional culture to flourish again, and an increasing number of young women now play a central role in promoting the "China-Chic" trend and preserving and modernizing ICH, facilitating ICH's integration in modern life and helping it reach a global audience.

"China Chic" is the common English translation for the Chinese term guochao. It refers to a powerful cultural and consumer trend where domestic Chinese brands and products, infused with Chinese cultural and historical elements, become trendy and fashionable, particularly among younger generations.

The conductor's baton

For Nengkaman, culture is a bridge—connecting her Tibetan community with the outside world, transforming traditional textiles into contemporary narratives of identity and economic independence. This same conviction resonates over 1,500 km away in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, where Wang Fang, Director of the Over the Rainbow Children's Choir, a non-profit multi-ethnic ensemble composed of youth and children from different ethnic groups in China.

"My philanthropic work started with motherhood," said Wang, a Peking University graduate whose perspective shifted profoundly with the birth of her daughter 20 years ago. That experience awakened in her a deep sense of responsibility—not only toward her own child, but toward all children seeking beauty and expression.

She began writing songs, initially as a way to preserve innocence and cultural memory through melody. Yet, as her choir grew, embracing children from multiple ethnic backgrounds and incorporating diverse folk music traditions, Wang encountered a deeper layer of social reality. Through close contact with the mothers of her choir members, she recognized a recurring theme: The wellbeing of children is inextricably linked to that of the women who raise them. This led to her pivotal insight: "To truly care for children, we must support families and women."

That realization became the cornerstone of an expanded and more holistic mission. In 2023, Wang was invited to serve as secretary general of the Shenzhen Women and Children's Development Foundation, a role that allowed her to translate this philosophy into structured action. She began championing targeted initiatives such as the Women's Employment Support Plan, which partners with local enterprises to create career pathways for female university graduates, and the Full-time Mothers Support Plan, which offers vocational retraining and flexible work opportunities for mothers seeking to re-enter the workforce.

Her vision extended beyond Shenzhen's urban landscape through programs like the Rural Women Teachers' Healthcare Plan and initiatives helping underprivileged girls access higher education. These efforts contribute to rural development, demonstrating how supporting women's growth creates ripples that strengthen entire communities.

"By starting with supporting women's individual growth, we can better care for children, nurture families, and ultimately drive social progress," Wang told newspaper China Business Times. From the Tibetan highlands to the heart of Shenzhen, culture is proving to be a powerful and transformative stage where women, as both custodians of tradition and architects of the future, are directing a more prosperous and inclusive future for all.

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson

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