Zheng Fenlan competes during the China Women's Handicraft Entrepreneurship and Innovation Contest held in 2019 by the All-China Women's Federation. [Women of China/Fan Wenjun]

On behalf of diligent women, most of whom are mothers, from nine ancient villages, Zheng Fenlan competed during the China Women's Handicraft Entrepreneurship and Innovation Contest. The competition was held in 2019 by the All-China Women's Federation. After she competed in the final round — as one of the 32 contestants — and attended the award ceremony, she shared the good news with those women through their WeChat group. The women were excited. "Women in those remote villages make beautiful crafts with their hands. They are doing their best to shake off poverty and create a bright future. We are on the right way!" Zheng says.

Zheng's hometown is a village in Pan'an, in East China's Zhejiang Province. Zheng learned handweaving skills, to make cloth, from her mother when she was young. In 1995, Zheng started to sell clothes in Hangzhou (capital of Zhejiang) after she graduated from university. "At that time, I found the clothes I was selling lacked unique designs and charm," she recalled.

Zheng likes hiking very much. In 2001, she visited an ancient village, hidden deep in a mountain, in Southwest China's Guizhou Province. An elderly woman in the village gave Zheng a shuttle, for weaving cloth, as a gift. Inspired by that experience, Zheng began a hiking tour to look for more shuttles. She also started to pay attention to craftsmakers and their stories in the remote and ancient villages she visited.

During the past 18 years, Zheng has visited 24 ancient villages in the provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou and Zhejiang, as well as in Tibet Autonomous Region. She asked herself what the relationship was between the craftsmanship and the villages. "I think craftsmanship represents a lifestyle and an attitude toward one's life. The traditional crafts are created based on the inspiration one has gained from his/her life. People in ancient villages pass on craftmaking skills from generation to generation. I want to help them invigorate their villages by developing their own craftmaking businesses," Zheng says.

She has selected nine villages as pilot sites, in which she has established cooperatives to help the villagers develop their brands. "Residents in those villages, especially women, are running their brands. Their crafts are of very good quality. More than 2,000 women in those villages have been able to create wealth through their craft businesses," Zheng notes.

In November last year, Zheng attended the China Women's Handicraft Entrepreneurship and Innovation Contest's award ceremony, held in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei Province. She was with several villagers who had received her help, including Sanbainiu, a woman of the Lisu ethnic group and who came from Yunnan, and Drolma, from Tibet. When the ceremony's hostess asked Sanbainiu for her impression of Zheng, the shy Lisu woman replied: "A good person."

Zheng says she has visited Sanbainiu's hometown, a village named Shuigoutou, in Yunnan, more than 10 times. "When I met Sanbainiu for the first time, she did not speak Mandarin very well. But now, she can leave voice messages for me on WeChat. She is such a sincere and diligent woman, who knows the importance of showing her gratitude," Zheng adds.

Zheng believes the contest last year offered an opportunity for women in remote villages to understand better their home country's supportive policies, which help them shake off poverty by running their own businesses. Drolma told Zheng she would learn Mandarin as well, so that one day she would be able to attend similar contests, through which she would promote, by herself, the good crafts made in her hometown.

"During the years I have been to those ancient villages, I have learned much from women in the villages. I admire their positive attitudes to pass on craftsmanship and to improve lives with their hands," Zheng says.

Since the beginning of this year, Zheng has started to help young people, including children of mothers, such as Sanbainiu and Drolma, to come out of their hometowns and to receive better education in urban areas. Zheng encourages the young people to learn information and skills, which they will take back to their hometowns to boost their villages' economies. "Only if we educate young people, from those ancient villages, to cherish the crafts produced in their hometowns, will they be able to make real changes in their hometowns. We hope the young people will invigorate the craftsmanship in their hometowns, and make sure the villages can develop sustainably for long," Zheng concludes.

(Women of China English Monthly January 2020 issue)