Stitching together the strands of culture

At the event, she also demonstrated the meticulous stitching required to her audience, who got to appreciate the ancient art at close quarters.

"I'd really love to see more people appreciate (Chinese) culture through costumes," Bi says.

She was one of 1,000 delegates from all over the world who brought 500 intangible cultural heritage projects and 3,000 exhibits and artworks to the four-day cultural event, which consisted of sections that displayed China's efforts in protecting and supporting intangible cultural heritage, distinctive domestic handicrafts, international cultural forms and creative cultural products.

The "eight imperial handicrafts "exhibition area where Bi was sitting was composed of 29 exhibits that represented the kinds of craftsmanship that have been highly regarded and favored since the Qing Dynasty.

They include embroidery, gold lacquer and filigree inlay, imperial carpets, cloisonne, jade and lacquer carving, and are known for their exquisite craftsmanship, intricate designs and association with imperial culture.

Yuan Changjun gazed at a thin silver wire as he bent it into a triangle with a small pair of tweezers, next to a mound of seemingly hundreds of others.