Donkey-shaped Qingyang sachets designed by lineage holder Liu Lanfang. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A childhood dream come true

Growing up surrounded by ingenious women, Liu was fascinated by their exquisite needlework – insoles, shoes, pillowcases and bedding bags. "Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of having my own needles and threads. My mom always carried hers around. Children weren't allowed to touch them," Liu recalled. "I didn't get mine until I turned 9. It was a splendid day!"

Her passion for stitchwork only grew from there, and Liu visited rural households to expand her embroidery collection. In 2002, she put on an exhibition during the first Qingyang Sachet Festival. "When orders started pouring in, I realized I needed to construct a professional team and turn this into a profitable business," Liu said.

Inspired by assembly lines in modern factories, she allocates tasks to groups of embroiders. Pieces of embroidery then come together as a beautiful product. "Needlework is personal. The style varies from person to person. At first, it was really hard to get everyone on the same page," Liu said. "We continued to train embroiders until we got a consistent product flow."