Community threads together

At the beginning, Bai faced many doubts. Liu Yuqing, a local woman with impaired movement and two children to raise, tried joining the training, and people around her felt doubtful about her decision.

"I told people that embroidery is profitable, but they didn't believe me. They would ask if it could really make money, why hadn't the older generations, who did this for such a long time, become rich?" says Liu.

"If I hadn't made people believe the industry is profitable, I could not have moved on," Bai tells Shanghai-based news portal The-Paper.cn. She analyzed the reasons for poverty, and how to make money from embroidery in her training courses. Gradually, more people joined.

With Bai's repeated encouragement, Liu didn't give up and continued to improve her skills. After a month, she could make money from her products, and received a greater number of orders. In the next several years, she used the money she earned to build a house, and move out of poverty.

"My life changed, and my vision expanded after making embroidered works. My participation in this industry not only increases my income, but also inspires me to strive for a better life," says Liu.

Over the next several years, Bai traveled to 12 townships and 173 villages in the banner, leading more than 26,000 local women to participate in the embroidery industry, lifting nearly 3,000 people out of poverty.

Now, embroidery has become one of the pillar industries of the banner, and it gives local people confidence. "Embroidering a flower is no big deal, but it gives people a sense of accomplishment. I was told by a local person, that since we can do well in making embroidery, we will also do well in other work," says Bai.