Patterns of success

According to Luo, from January to March last year, the cooperative completed orders to the value of 300,000 yuan. This year, though, since the women returned to work after Spring Festival in February, the cooperative has only received two orders with a total income of 70,000 yuan. Yang is facing the same situation.

"Many garment factories, which used to be our big clients, are still temporarily shut down," Luo says.

Many of the young women are communicating with consumers online via livestreams, presenting the embroidery process and chatting with viewers. One of Luo's most recent orders came from someone who has been following their livestream.

"As we can now support the family while doing embroidery at home, with the baby sleeping in the back and the elders by our side, we no longer have to make a living elsewhere, and the number of 'left-behind' children and 'empty nesters' is going down," Yang says. "We will conquer any challenge together, even the virus outbreak."

Zhao Yandi contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at xuhaoyu@chinadaily.com.cn