Women of the Miao ethnic minority in Xiongdong village, Guizhou province pose for a photo with Yang Ming (L1) on July 9, holding the almost completed gift for the Hangzhou Asian Games. [Photo/xsnet.cn]

In the scorching heat of the summer, women of the Miao ethnic minority in Group Eight of Xiongdong village, Qianxi city, Guizhou province, located thousands of miles away from Hangzhou, are using their agricultural downtime and working day and night to create a special gift for the Hangzhou Asian Games featuring local traditional craftsmanship.

It is a 5.5-meter long and 1.2-m wide artwork entitled Miao Culture Welcomes the Asian Games which combines two intangible cultural heritage crafts - batik and Miao embroidery.

Using the ancient batik fabric, the Miao women incorporate paper-cut flat embroidery and patchwork horse-tail embroidery techniques, cleverly combining Miao ethnic patterns with elements of the Hangzhou Asian Games and local landmarks.

The artwork is not only a symbol of the endurance of Chinese civilization, but also is helping to build anticipation for the Hangzhou Asian Games.

How did a group of Miao women from remote mountainous areas come up with the idea of making gifts for the Games?

Their story is a heartwarming one. The protagonist is Yang Ming, a native of Xiaoshan district in Hangzhou who was nominated as a national moral model and dedicated many years of his life to supporting education.