Knitting Ladies, a stage drama based on a true story, was performed in Beijing on November 11. The drama tells the story of Yang Chenglan, a college graduate of the Dong ethnic group, who went back to her hometown in a rural part of Guizhou Province, southwest China, to revive the traditional technique of Dong-style cloth dyeing.
Yang was the first woman from her village to attend university. After graduation, she worked as a music teacher in the provincial capital of Guiyang before returning to her home in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in 2016 as a social entrepreneur. By breathing new life into the almost extinct fabric-making practice, she has not only helped preserve a time-honored tradition, but also increased villagers' incomes.
Zhang Ying, director of the drama, said she hopes Yang's story will encourage more young people to devote themselves to learning and passing on Chinese forms of intangible cultural heritage.
The Dong minority, with a population of 3.49 million, is one of China's 55 minority ethnic groups. Dong people mainly live in Guizhou, Hunan and Hubei provinces as well as Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Qiandongnan is home to the largest number of Dong people in China.
(Text and photos by Wei Yao)
