Stitching dreams in Guiyang: Lessons Kenya can draw from China’s embroidery college

Young girls in an embroidery classroom at Guizhou Forerunner College, China on September 8. 2025/LEAH MUKANGAI

When my plane descended into Guiyang, the capital of China’s Guizhou Province, I was greeted by a landscape unlike any other I had seen before.

Rolling green hills, limestone karsts piercing the skyline, and a city that blends the modern with the traditional in equal measure.

Guiyang is not the typical destination for travelers, yet it is here that I found myself on a journey of discovery — tracing the threads of culture, hope, and resilience at Guizhou Forerunner College.

I was part of a team of Kenyan journalists on a two-week tour of Beijing and Guiyang, exploring education, culture, and community development initiatives.

For me, the visit to Guizhou Forerunner College was the highlight — an institution where young people are not only taught diverse academic and vocational skills but also empowered to turn culture into enterprise.

A FAIRYLAND OF CULTURE

Arriving in Guizhou during spring felt like stepping into a living painting. The province is often described as a fairyland hidden among the mountains and waters.

Here, everything awakens in the karst peak forests, and the world’s largest sea of wild azaleas blooms quietly, painting the valleys in brilliant shades of pink and red.

 A young girl stitching a fabric using a needle in an embroidery classroom at Guizhou Forerunner College, China on September 8, 2025 /LEAH MUKANGAI 

It is in this enchanting environment, deeply tied to nature and tradition, that Guizhou Forerunner College thrives — a place where the preservation of culture is stitched into the fabric of daily life.

A ROOM FULL OF THREADS

The first time I walked into the embroidery classroom, I was struck by the color. Bright blues, deep reds, and shining gold threads danced across fabric stretched on wooden frames.

Rows of young students sat with intense concentration, their hands moving with the grace and precision of artists. These were not just garments; they were living histories.

Although the college offers many courses, it has built a strong reputation for training students in traditional handcrafts of ethnic minorities — embroidery, batik, and textile arts that have been passed down for centuries.

Guizhou Forerunner College Vice president Long Duxun explains on photo exhibitions on September 8, 2025/ LEAH MUKANGAI 

Each stitch carries meaning; every motif tells a story. “These clothes are for different ethnic groups, different cultures,” one of the teachers explained to me, showing pieces from the Miao and Dong minorities. “Some garments take as many as six years to complete. They are not just clothes — they are a heritage, preserved in fabric.”

GIRLS LEADING THE CRAFT

Embroidery at Guizhou Forerunner College is mostly done by girls, the majority of whom come from very poor families. For them, the college is more than a school; it is a lifeline.

“These girls come from villages where opportunities are limited,” one of the administrators who was our guide said. “Here, they learn a skill that not only preserves their culture but also provides them with a chance to earn a living,” he added.

The work is painstakingly detailed. Some of the fabrics are made from local materials, even rice, carefully processed to create unique textiles.

Guizhou Forerunner College entrance in China on September 8, 2025/LEAH MUKANGAI 

The finished products are astonishingly durable, designed to last for generations. Yet what moved me most was the sense of purpose etched on the faces of the girls as they worked, knowing that each stitch could one day change their destiny.

Although embroidery has traditionally been dominated by girls, the craft has begun to attract boys as well. What was once seen as women’s work is now slowly being redefined.

This quiet shift signals more than changing gender roles. It is proof that cultural heritage, when valued and modernized, can inspire all young people — regardless of gender — to see tradition not as a burden, but as an opportunity.

A SCHOOL WITH A UNIQUE MOTTO

Guizhou Forerunner College operates on a philosophy that blends learning with enterprise. Its motto is simple yet profound: “Studying is your business, your teacher is your manager, your score is the product you come up with.”

It is a mindset that prepares students to view their education not just as academic achievement but as a practical tool for survival.

The embroidery students, for instance, are trained not only in craft but also in the entrepreneurial skills needed to run a business.

And the rewards are tangible. Once they complete their training, the young women — most of whom graduate in their early 20s, often just before starting families — receive 50,000 Yuan (Sh900,000) in support to help them start their own embroidery or handicraft businesses back in their communities.

Guizhou Forerunner College blind students walk along a pathway in the institution on September 8, 2025/ LEAH MUKANGAI

THE LONG JOURNEY OF A STITCH

What fascinated me most was the time invested in each piece. Some garments, especially ceremonial ones, take up to six years to complete.

Imagine beginning a dress as a teenager and finishing it as a young adult, every stitch carrying not just the story of a culture but also the personal journey of the artisan.

These are not products made for mass consumption. They are heirlooms — artifacts that outlive their makers and continue to tell stories long after.

As I held one finished piece, heavy with beads and intricate embroidery, I felt as though I was holding the spirit of a community in my hands.

LESSONS FOR KENYA

As a Kenyan journalist, I could not help but reflect on the parallels between what I saw in Guiyang and the rich cultural tapestry back home.

Kenya has an equally vibrant heritage — Maasai beadwork, Kikuyu and Kamba carvings, Kisii soapstone, Luhya basketry, and the widespread use of Kitenge and Kanga fabrics. Just like in Guizhou, these art forms are more than aesthetics; they are carriers of identity, memory, and resilience.

Yet too often, our crafts remain underappreciated, seen more as curios for tourists than as viable avenues for enterprise. What Guizhou Forerunner College teaches us is the importance of institutionalising culture into education. By giving embroidery and batik the same respect as other courses, the college validates tradition as both art and business.

Some of the finished fabrics displayed on the wall at Guizhou Forerunner College,  China on September 8, 2025/ LEAH MUKANGAI 

Kenya can borrow from this model. Imagine a vocational college in Narok dedicated to beadwork, one in Kitui for basket weaving, or another in Kisii for soapstone carving. With proper training, entrepreneurial mentorship, and start-up support — much like the 50,000 yuan given here — our young people could transform traditional crafts into sustainable livelihoods.

Moreover, Kenya is blessed with abundant raw materials — cotton, sisal, wool, clay, and even recycled materials — all of which can feed into creative industries. The challenge is not lack of resources, but lack of structured systems to turn heritage into opportunity.

A CITY AND ITS CULTURE

Beyond the walls of the college, Guiyang itself left a lasting impression on me. Unlike Beijing or Shanghai, Guiyang feels more intimate, more rooted in tradition. The city is surrounded by mountains, and its streets are alive with food markets, ethnic minority festivals, and a rhythm that is both modern and deeply cultural.

Guizhou Forerunner College Blind band play music instruments on September 8, 2025/LEAH MUKANGAI 

In spring, when the azaleas bloom and the forests awaken, Guiyang becomes more than just a city — it becomes a living canvas of culture and nature intertwined. And in the heart of it, Guizhou Forerunner College is ensuring that heritage continues to blossom alongside progress.

DREAMS BEYOND POVERTY

For the young women at Guizhou Forerunner College, the embroidery class is more than a training program. It is a bridge out of poverty. Most of them come from families that could never have imagined sending their daughters to college. Here, they gain not just skills but dignity.

When they leave, they carry with them more than just fabric and thread. They carry a future — one that can break cycles of poverty and inspire others. The 50,000 yuan startup support is a lifeline, turning their learning into livelihoods.

And perhaps most importantly, they carry their culture, carefully stitched into every piece they make, ensuring it will not be forgotten.

THE LESSON I CARRIED HOME

As I boarded my flight back from Guiyang, I thought of the girls I had met — their fingers calloused from stitching, their eyes bright with hope.

I thought of the college’s unusual motto, one that turns learning into enterprise. And I thought of how a piece of clothing, sometimes six years in the making, could embody not just beauty but resilience.

For me, and for my fellow Kenyan journalists on this trip, the visit to Guizhou Forerunner College was more than just a visit. It was a mirror reflecting what is possible when education, culture, and enterprise are woven together.

Just as the threads of embroidery weave patterns that last for generations, so too does the work being done here in Guizhou. In every stitch, a dream is being sewn — and a future shaped.