Feature: Ethnic Miao youth uses fashion to spotlight intangible cultural heritage at UN

GUIYANG, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Under the glittering lights of the Palais des Nations in Geneva on Thursday evening, the Village T fashion show from southwest China's Guizhou Province once again gained global attention.

Xie Zongxu, a member of the Miao ethnic group who was born in Guizhou's Kaili City in 1998, shared with the world how the intangible cultural heritage of traditional ethnic group craftsmanship has been transformed and revived in his hometown.

At the closing ceremony of the 2025 United Nations HRC Social Forum, Xie presented a special gift to the United Nations: a piece of embroidery featuring the UN emblem surrounded by a giant panda, peace doves, dolphins, and Miao totems such as Mother Butterfly. The gift showcases the traditional design styles and exquisite craftsmanship of Guizhou's embroiderers.

"We hope to showcase the stories of Guizhou's intangible cultural heritage and embroidery to the world, demonstrating the modern vitality of China's intangible cultural heritage," Xie said. "And we want to call on countries around the world to display their ethnic beauty on our Village T platform."

Initiated in a cultural park in Kaili, the Village T grassroots fashion show was first staged in July 2024. A Miao fashion designer brought traditional farming tools, silver ornaments, batik and embroidery onto the runway, creating diverse ethnic costumes donned by a group of models that included local villagers, embroiderers and children.

The intangible cultural heritage fashion show rose to rapid fame, accumulating over 15 billion views across social media platforms.

Since July last year, through a joint global youth dialogue project with Tsinghua University, Xie invited youth from various countries to Guizhou to experience the cultural charm and participate in the fashion shows.

"So far, we have invited youths from over 40 countries to walk on our stage. Throughout the process, I have deeply felt the chemistry between modern fashion design and traditional cultures from home and abroad," Xie said.

Alexander Kuch, 30, from Germany, was invited to walk on the stage alongside village locals this July.

"From Milan Fashion Week to the United Nations Climate Change Conference and now the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Guizhou's Village T has shown on different global stages. I am very excited and proud to be a small part of it," Kuch said.

Xie believes that respect for and the continuance of traditional culture are key to Chinese intangible cultural heritage gaining global recognition, as are a keen understanding and the integration of modern trends.

In Kaili today, cultural identity and confidence among ethnic groups have become new driving forces behind consumption growth. Traditional intangible cultural heritage crafts such as embroidery, silver jewelry-making and batik are becoming valuable sources of inspiration for heritage innovation and industry development.

According to local cultural and tourism authorities, an "intangible heritage plus tourism" model enabled the Kaili cultural park to welcome over 1.12 million visitors in 2024 -- a year-on-year increase of 136.83 percent.

Currently, more than 50 villages host intangible heritage workshops and create products for Guizhou's Village T, providing over 3,000 jobs. And the per capita annual local income has increased by more than 40 percent.

To date, Guizhou's Village T has held over 900 events, including more than 300 fashion shows, attracting over 1.2 million visitors to the cultural park. ■