Photo shows embroidered handicrafts created using Panxiu, a millennia-old traditional embroidery style unique to the Tu ethnic group in Huzhu Tu autonomous county, northwest China’s Qinghai Province. (Photo/People’s Daily APP)
Panxiu, a millennia-old traditional embroidery style unique to the Tu ethnic group in Huzhu Tu Autonomous County, northwest China’s Qinghai Province, is embracing innovation and fueling local rural revitalization.
The time-honored craft is regarded as an essential "cultural gene" of the Tu ethnic group, with diverse motifs mirroring the Tu people’s philosophy of living and values.
The sunflower, the most iconic motif of Panxiu, was closely related to the Tu ancestors’ sun worship. In Tu creation myths, the sun is revered as the source of life.
The sunflower motif in Panxiu features radiating lines that mimic the sun’s rays, while its eight layers of petals embody an ancient wish for universal peace and harmony.
Common combinations of motifs, such as sunflowers with peonies and butterflies, symbolize brightness, harmony, and well-being.
"The sunflower must always be stitched facing the sun—just as we should always look toward the good and bright in life," a local embroiderer named Zhang Zhuomashijie said as a beautiful sunflower took shape at her fingertips.
These motifs are faithfully preserved in an illustrated Panxiu pattern book, serving as a "living fossil" for scholars studying Tu heritage.
Photo shows embroidered handicrafts created using Panxiu, a millennia-old traditional embroidery style unique to the Tu ethnic group in Huzhu Tu autonomous county, northwest China’s Qinghai Province. (Photo/People’s Daily APP)
During the 1990s, when machine embroidery threatened the survival of traditional skills, Panxiu almost faded from people’s lives.
Determined to keep the heritage alive, older practitioners traveled from village to village, gathering women to teach the art by the light of kerosene lamps.
"If Panxiu disappears, we lose a part of our roots," they said. That deep cultural devotion has helped the cultural treasure of the Tu people endure.
In 2006, Panxiu was recognized as national-level intangible cultural heritage of China, giving a strong boost to the traditional craft’s revitalization.
Today, younger artisans are innovating to carry the tradition forward.
Infusing sunflower motifs into modern clothing and accessories, they have developed cultural and creative products such as scarves and backpacks with sunflowers featuring intricate traditional needlework.
This blend of tradition and creativity has breathed new life into Panxiu, spurring further efforts to tap into the cultural treasure.
Nowadays, Panxiu is an income-boosting industry benefiting several thousand rural households in Huzhu Tu Autonomous County, with many villages turning it into a specialty industry and a development engine.
Photo shows embroidered handicrafts created using Panxiu, a millennia-old traditional embroidery style unique to the Tu ethnic group in Huzhu Tu autonomous county, northwest China’s Qinghai Province. (Photo/People’s Daily APP)
Banyan village in Wushi town, Huzhu Tu Autonomous County, for instance, has adopted a Panxiu development model that attaches great importance to the inheritance of the intangible cultural heritage and gives play to the ancient art form’s role in increasing people’s income.
The Panxiu association of Banyan village invested 3 million yuan ($419,345.7) to establish a dedicated Panxiu industrial park, which operates under a model featuring collaboration among enterprises, the local production base and households.
With a team consisting of 145 embroiderers, including 93 from previously impoverished families, the industrial park developed over 500 types of cultural and creative products.
It fulfills orders for over 75,000 products for companies including major Chinese online discount retailer Vipshop, generating 3 million yuan in revenue.
Works from the industrial park are exported to Europe and North America, becoming a shining "calling card" of the Tu ethnic culture while bringing each embroiderer an extra annual income of over 7,000 yuan.
In 2023, the industrial park was recognized as a "national demonstration base for women’s poverty alleviation."
Meanwhile, the integration of embroidery and tourism has opened up new prospects for development.
At the local Tu folk culture theme park named Rainbow Tribe, embroiderers showcase their skills on site, while tourists can try their hand at stitching a sunflower and take their embroideries home.
This immersive experience boosts the local economy while promoting traditional culture, creating a virtuous cycle of growth.
原文地址：http://en.people.cn/n3/2025/0730/c98649-20347009.html