An employment project for disabled women has made its debut at the 20th China International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) in Shenzhen City of south China's Guangdong Province, showcasing the talented works of many who have overcome adversity to create high-quality cultural items.

The program, dubbed the "beauty workshop," is jointly sponsored by the China Disabled Persons' Federation, the All-China Women's Federation and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, and the items created through the initiative are taking their place among the more than 120,000 exhibits on display at the five-day fair, which concludes Monday.
The workshop features a wealth of exquisite handicrafts including various elegant embroideries, the traditional costumes of minority groups, Beijing silk figurines, the Tibetan Buddhist scroll painting practice known as Thangka and other eye-catching paintings made with fish skin and straws, all of which are attracting a host of visitors.
Zhang Yanmei, a national intangible cultural heritage inheritor from the rural Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Guizhou Province, was busy at her booth coming up with her latest creation.
"This is a baby carrier strap which is used by the local women to carry their children. We combine the modern design concepts, the ancient traditional patterns of people of the Miao ethnic group and the soft decoration of the modern design. Together with a breakthrough of the colors we use, we have integrated the most distinctive stitches of Miao embroidery into the patterns of these design elements, so that it better integrates into people's modern daily lives," explained Zhang.
Another showcasing their skills at the fair is Lu Yongjiang from Guizhou's Liping County, who was left disabled at a young age following a fire. Despite facing this misfortune, Lu has not only achieved self-employment through her perseverance, but has also promoted the employment of other local women with disabilities.
Her hard work and dedication has paid off, with most of her exhibits all being sold out in the space of just two days.
"I have been a disabled person since childhood and I am benefited from the good polices of the Communist Party of China. I have led a group of 70 to 80 embroiders to make handicrafts. We are making cultural and creative products by weaving, dyeing, embroidering and brocading. We have received the support of all sectors of society, enabling us to feed ourselves and to help our peers in the Miao ethnic towns and Dong ethnic villages, making our contribution to rural revitalization," she said.
This year's ICIF has seen more than 6,000 representatives from governments, cultural institutions, and enterprises from all around the world participating both online and offline, a near 60 percent increase over the previous session.
Since its establishment in 2004, the ICIF has grown in terms of scale, participation, and trading outcomes, making it an important engine to promote the development of China's cultural industries.