Ethnic Dai artists embroidery thread together story of Yunnan's wandering elephants

The embroidery, called "Where are the elephants?", shows the elephants' journey across Yuxi, including its counties of Yuanjiang, Eshan and Yimen.

Dai people's ancient craft skills are exemplified in this work – for example, several thumb-sized shoes connect the three locations on their trip, according to Qian.

In addition, the embroidery patches of the three elephants were made with an exquisite and colorful brocade unique to the Dai ethnic group called Dai Jin.

"We have been recording the trekking of the elephants with Dai Jin, which is unique to the Dai people. We used it to make embroidery patches," she said.

The time-honored handicraft of embroidery, known for its unique patterns and beautiful, bright colors, was inscribed on the first list of state-level intangible cultural heritage items.

Featuring various subjects from plants to animals, the refined techniques and unique designs of Dai Embroidery have been passed down for generations.