Embroidery shows vibrant Tibetan techniques

The piece's dimensions make it a challenge and so Lhamo Yudron and her team developed a seamless embedding technique and came up with a way to upgrade the embroidery racks.

"We have already embroidered more than 200 meters, and hopefully we can finish it by the end of this year," she says.

Today, her products have made their way to Beijing, and Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, and products such as embroidered Tibetan sachets and pendants have become popular at local tourism markets.

Booming market demand has enabled her to entice more villagers to join her trade and make a career out of Tibetan embroidery and to date, her company has given training and employment opportunities to more than 1,000 people.

Wen Changji from Shagou township has followed Lhamo Yudron for five years.

"Before I met her, I used to struggle with poverty as a result of an illness, but now I can make 40,000 yuan ($5,540) to 50,000 yuan a year," Wen says, adding that she is proud that her efforts have helped her family move into a new house with better living conditions.

Shi Yuxiu from Qiabuqia town, about a three-hour drive from Shagou township, has also had her life improved. Her family of six used to live off just 0.4 hectares of land. "We could barely keep our heads above water," Shi says.

Following a friend's recommendation, she began to make Tibetan embroidery with Lhamo Yudron in 2009 and has worked her way up to become a key employee at the company. Now, Shi earns at least 4,000 yuan a month.

"When I look back, it is still like a dream that I have been able to give my family a better life through my handicraft," Shi says.

Lhamo Yudron says she takes pride in helping women make a career out of Tibetan embroidery.

Last year, her company paid about 4 million yuan in salaries. "It makes me feel I'm doing something meaningful," she says.

She recently received a May 1st Labor Medal, the nation's highest honor for workers. She says it has charged her with a stronger sense of responsibility and has encouraged her to keep expanding the influence of her craft so that more people can come to appreciate China's traditional ethnic cultures.