Yang talks with local women about their artwork. [Photo/xsnet.cn]

Group Eight of Xiongdong village used to be a deeply-impoverished area where people had to carry goods on their backs and horses, and transportation was extremely inconvenient.

In 2009, at the age of 25, Yang gave up a decent job in Hangzhou and went to support education in Qianxi mountainous area in Bijie, Guizhou.

Since then, he has visited Xiongdong village numerous times, participating in the literacy work of local villagers and conducting visits to families, becoming a "surrogate father" for some of the children. In 2018, despite the arduous journey, he traveled nearly 30 km daily to watch over 10 preschool children in the village.

"Group Eight of Xiongdong village used to be called Jianshan village. My hometown is the Jianshanxia village in Xiaoshan. The two village names are similar, so going there feels like going back home." Yang, who is far away from home, harnessed his homesickness to help those in need.

In 2021, after supporting education in Guizhou for 12 years, Yang finally settled down in Guizhou with his family. During this period, while teaching at Jinxiu School in Qianxi city, he and his wife began to engage in the promotion, dissemination, and protection of Miao ethnic culture in Qianxi. The couple has visited Xiongdong village multiple times, encouraging local women to pick up the wax knife again, revive their ethnic craftsmanship, and transform the traditional "finger-tip skills" into a "finger-tip economy."

When the Miao women learned that Yang's hometown would host the Asian Games, they thought of using their traditional craftsmanship to present a special gift from the Miao ethnic group to the Games. Within every stitch and thread, there is a blessing for the sporting event, a continuation of traditional culture, and a deep gratitude to the "brother from Xiaoshan" who has brought light to them time and time again.

"Local women have been working on this gift for nearly a year, and it will be completed in about a week. My wife and a few friends who love culture and art planned out the artwork. It means a lot to be able to bless the Asian Games in this way," Yang said. "I am proud of my hometown and looking forward to the splendid Hangzhou Asian Games!"

The work is an artistic integration of stitch and thread. [Photo/xsnet.cn]