Four of Liu's embroidered fans. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

With a love of embroidery and Dunhuang murals, Liu Yao, a young woman from northwest China's Gansu province, has found a way to combine her two passions.

Liu's mother and grandmother are both accomplished embroiderers, so it made sense that she too would pick up the art. Liu uses needle and thread to recreate on fabric the images of Buddha's hand gestures seen in murals across Dunhuang.

"These gestures comprise a very important part of the region's art heritage," Liu said.