Traditional brocade workshops help increase incomes in Chongqing

An employee of a workshop that was built for poverty alleviation purposes in Xiaonanhai township, Qianjiang district, Chongqing weaves Xilankapu, which is a type of brocade that is part of traditional Tujia ethnic culture.(Xinhua/Yangmin)

Xilankapu is a type of brocade that is part of traditional Tujia ethnic culture.Products made from the material, such as handbags, furniture, and scarves,are sold acrossChina. The craft of Xilankapu fabrication was included in China’s first list of national intangible cultural heritage items.

Xilankapu workshops that are builtfor poverty alleviation purposes have been established in Qianjiang district, Chongqing. They employ staff who train poverty-stricken people and left-behind women to make Xilankapu and provide jobs for them. These endeavors promote the continuation of Tujiaheritage and thedevelopment of local culture and tourismand make it possible for the people who work there to increase their incomes.