Traditional Crafts Integrated into Sustainable Fashion, Empowering Ethnic Minority Women to Generate Income
HONG KONG and SHANGHAI, May 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. (“Ping An”, the “Company” or the “Group”, HKEX: 2318; SSE: 601318) presented its Mother’s Needlework public welfare program at London Craft Week 2025, in the “Tiangong Kaiwu: Crafting Works Of China” exhibition of the China Pavilion. The program showcased embroidery and handcrafted carpets created by women from ethnic minorities, including the Yi and Dulong communities. The pieces exemplify the unique beauty of the intangible cultural heritage passed down for thousands of years and highlight the significant role of handicrafts in women’s empowerment, community development, and a sustainable economy.
The exhibition’s diverse array of handicrafts from Chinese ethnic minorities included the intricate and vibrant Dulong Carpet from Yunnan Province’s Dulong people. As a unique garment of one of China’s smallest ethnic groups, the Dulong Carpet is celebrated for its intricate craftsmanship and vibrant colors.
Ethnic minority crafts are vital expressions of cultural heritage and history. However, rapid modernization threatens the survival of these skills. In 2020, Ping An launched the Mother’s Needlework public welfare program to empower ethnic minority women to preserve traditional techniques and boost their incomes through innovative design and market access. The program champions sustainable fashion by integrating recycled materials with traditional ethnic designs, supporting local women to craft aesthetically pleasing and eco-friendly textile products for domestic and international markets.
The Mother’s Needlework public welfare program has expanded to 10 provinces and regions across China to date, including Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Inner Mongolia, and Guangdong, benefiting over 100 women. It has significantly improved the economic well-being of participating families and injected fresh vitality into sustainable community development.
Ping An affirms that ethnic handicrafts are not only Chinese cultural treasures but also a means to advance sustainable development and social inclusion. Through international platforms such as London Craft Week, Ping An aims to share the unique allure of China’s intangible cultural heritage and invite collaboration from global designers and social organizations to collectively explore the innovative and sustainable future of handicrafts.
London Craft Week was established in 2015 and is supported by the King’s Foundation, a charity founded by King Charles III. It is a premier global event in the fields of design, fashion, and crafts. Each year, it draws designers and artisans from around the world, fostering cross-cultural exchange and innovation through exhibitions, workshops, and forums.
About Ping An Group
Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. (HKEx:2318 / 82318; SSE:601318) is one of the largest financial services companies in the world. It strives to become a world-leading provider of integrated finance, health and senior care services. Under the technology-driven “integrated finance + health and senior care” strategy, the Group provides professional “financial advisory, family doctor, and senior care concierge” services to its nearly 240 million retail customers. Ping An advances intelligent digital transformation and employs technologies to improve financial businesses’ quality and efficiency and enhance risk management. The Group is listed on the stock exchanges in Hong Kong and Shanghai. As of the end of December 2024, Ping An had more than RMB12 trillion in total assets. The Group ranked 29th in the Forbes Global 2000 list in 2024 and 53rd in the Fortune Global 500 list in 2024.
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