Handmade stories from the highlands

Growing interest

At a small stall, Badanlam arranges rows of handmade pottery while speaking with visitors who stop to test the texture and weight of her work.

"People have been showing strong interest in our handcrafted items," says the woman in her 20s.

Her coffee cups, adapted for modern use, are among the most popular items. Familiar in function, they still carry the marks of handwork, featuring slight ridges along the rim, faint thumb impressions in the clay, and small variations in thickness that reveal the rhythm of the potter's hands.

Last year, Badanlam stayed in Beijing for a week and sold hundreds of pieces. This year, she notices that the interest has continued.

But for her, the change runs deeper than sales. Growing up in Rangtang, her life was once defined by physical labor — long days spent digging for caterpillar fungus and medicinal herbs in the mountains. "Back then, we depended on labor," she says.

As a teenager, Badanlam joined a local training center and spent years learning language skills and traditional crafts. The process was slow, repetitive, and at times uncertain. Now, she makes pottery, creates traditional clay works, and explains their meanings to visitors at places she never imagined visiting. Her income has increased by about 30 to 40 percent.

"But more importantly, I can come here. I can travel. I can let people understand where we are from," she says.

Luo Xianquan, an official of Rangtang, notes that the county has been selected as one of the first national pilot counties for cultural industries empowering rural vitalization. With 46 intangible cultural heritage training workshops, the county has helped over 3,000 local farmers and herders find employment close to home, increasing annual incomes by an average of 4,000 yuan ($588) per person.

Young Tibetan women like Badanlam reflect "how 'fingertip skills' are being turned into real economic returns across Rangtang", Luo points out.

Around Badanlam, visitors continue to browse. Some leave carrying small objects ranging from a printed sheet to a lamp and a cup still bearing the imprint of a hand.

Modest as they are, they carry with them a journey that begins in the highlands, passes through fire, paper and clay, and settles quietly into everyday life.

"I'm happy that I can let people understand where we are from this way," she says.