On February 12, during the Lantern Festival of the Lunar New Year, people gathered in the ancient and picturesque Zhiju Village of Yongren County, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, to celebrate with vibrant ethnic fashion competitions, skill contests, and joyful songs and dances. The dazzling attire, worn with confidence by beautiful women, showcased the joy of life. Yi ethnic clothing, often called "a thousand-year-old culture worn on the body," has been gaining increasing admiration and attention. 

The Yongren Saizhuang Festival (Ethnic Costume Festival) boasts a rich history spanning over 1,300 years. Experts and scholars regard Zhiju Village as "the world's oldest fashion runway" and praise it as "the origin of global ethnic costume shows." The festival reflects the Yi people's optimistic outlook, love for beauty, and deep appreciation for nature. It embodies their fearless spirit of competition, pursuit of excellence, and meticulous craftsmanship, as well as their industriousness, openness, solidarity, and spirit of innovation. The festival, along with the accompanying traditional Yi embroidery, has been recognized as a precious aspect of intangible cultural heritage.

In recent years, the Yongren Yi ethnic fashion culture has expanded from Zhiju's "rural runway" to major global stages in Beijing, Shanghai, New York, Milan, and Paris. Zhiju Village has been named one of Yunnan's "Top Ten Embroidery Villages" and included in China's sixth list of traditional villages, while Zhonghe Town in Yongren County has been designated as a provincial-level historic and cultural town.

Yongren County actively promotes the fine tradition of unity and mutual support, reinforcing the sense of a shared Chinese national identity. It has successfully been recognized as a National Demonstration County for Ethnic Unity and Progress, with 2 national-level, 38 provincial-level, 148 prefecture-level, and 526 county-level model units, achieving full provincial-level coverage of demonstration townships within the prefecture. Additionally, the county has established a Yi Embroidery Cultural and Creative Industrial Park, enabling women to support their families while carrying on their embroidery traditions. In 2024, the Yi embroidery industry generated an output value of 44.72 million yuan, marking a thriving and prosperous future. 

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(Editors: Ines, Jennifer)