College museum in Guiyang, SW China's Guizhou helps better introduce ethnic culture to students

A museum on the campus of Guiyang Vocational and Technical College in Guiyang city, southwest China's Guizhou Province, provides a place for students to conveniently learn about the costume culture of ethnic groups.

Long Yijing, a student at Guiyang Vocational and Technical College, looks at exhibits at a museum on the college campus. (Photo/Zhou Yanling)

The museum was built in 2016 by Chen Yueqiao, who has been committed to collecting, protecting and conducting research on the costumes of ethnic groups.

The exhibits provided by the museum, including costumes of ethnic groups, embroidery works and tools people used for production and living, were collected by Chen in ethnic villages in Guizhou for more than 10 years.

In 2023, Chen moved the museum to the campus of Guiyang Vocational and Technical College.

A costume of an ethnic group is on display at a museum in Guiyang Vocational and Technical College. (Photo/Zhou Yanling)

The museum, covering an area of 2,500 square meters, preserves over 3,000 costumes of ethnic groups and more than 20,000 pieces of embroidery works.

Chen hopes that the museum, by promoting cultural communication and introducing intangible cultural heritage to the school, can make the students feel the charm of intangible cultural heritage, and better popularize the culture of ethnic groups among them.

Chen Yueqiao (left) shows visitors around the museum. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

Long Yijing, a student majoring in costume design at the college, said she came to the museum in her spare time to learn traditional handicrafts and find design inspirations.

Since it was opened to the public for free in 2016, the museum has recorded nearly 1 million visits, including those made by researchers, experts and designers.

Chen Yueqiao (first from right) with female embroiderers. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

Students at Guiyang Vocational and Technical College practice embroidery inside the museum. (Photo/Zhou Yanling)