A success story held by a stitch

In her village, girls are expected to master the thousand-year-old Tibetan and Qiang weaving and embroidery techniques, a fusion of Tibetan weaving, cross stitching and Qiang embroidery, along with tea and meal preparation skills after the age of 10.

"Unlike the four famous Chinese embroidery styles, which are known for their ornamental value, Tibetan and Qiang embroideries are more practical as they are meant to be worn," she says.

The four famous Chinese embroideries are the Shu embroidery in Sichuan, Xiang embroidery in Hunan province, Yue embroidery in Guangdong province and Su embroidery in Jiangsu province.

Yang gained a reputation in the village for her exceptional needlework skills, with many soon-to-be brides turning to her for assistance in creating their dowries.

As an adult, Yang opened the first local photography studio, worked as a private school teacher, and later became a photojournalist for a newspaper. Embroidery became a hobby and she often used her spare time to visit skilled artisans in Tibetan and Qiang villages to study their techniques.

A major turning point for Yang came in May 2008, when a devastating magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck Wenchuan county in Aba prefecture and left over 87,000 people dead or missing.

"I pondered what I, a soon-to-be-retired person, could do to help my fellow villagers, and I thought of my embroidery skills," she says.