Chu Mengdan checks bead weaving handicrafts at an intangible cultural heritage experience hall in Luoyang City, central China's Henan Province, Sept. 12, 2024. Chu Mengdan is the fourth generation inheritor of bead weaving skills, an intangible cultural heritage project in Chanhe District of Luoyang. The art of stitching and joining beads as small as rice grains to form unique patterns or shapes is called bead weaving, which is used in clothing and jewelry.

The making process of the exquisite beaded handicrafts is much more complicated than it seems. "To accurately thread beads the size of rice grains with gold thread as thin as hair," Chu explained, "it requires not only the superb skills of craftsmen, but also the perfect coordination of eyes and hands."

To adapt to the changes of the times, the technique of bead weaving is constantly being improved and innovated. Based on the traditional technique, Chu has integrated more jewelry elements, combined traditional and modern, Eastern and Western cultures to inject new vitality into this art.

In order to let more people learn about bead weaving and pass on this art form, Chu has opened beading classes in nearby communities and also taught online via live-streaming. [Xinhua/Li An]