Mawei Embroidery Workshop is located in Shuipa Shuizhai, Shuipu Village, Yuping Subdistrict, Libo County, Guizhou Province. It is a practical project that integrates rural revitalization, cultural heritage preservation, and sustainable development. The project transforms a traditional village house into a multifunctional space that combines a Mawei embroidery workshop, embroidery exhibition area, and educational center.
The project is centered around Mawei Embroidery, a local intangible cultural heritage craft renowned for combining horsehair with silk threads in embroidery. Known for its refined craftsmanship and rich symbolic patterns, it carries deep ethnic cultural memory. The workshop provides local women artisans with a stable and dignified creative space, allowing traditional skills to generate real income and new development opportunities.
Located near the world-famous South China Karst region, the site is surrounded by remarkable landscapes and ecological biodiversity. The workshop aims to explore a model in which natural heritage and cultural heritage develop together, enabling visitors not only to appreciate embroidery craftsmanship, but also to experience the cultural identity shaped by the land and environment.
The architectural design follows a principle of low-intervention renovation, preserving as much of the original timber and stone structure as possible, reducing demolition waste, and continuing the memory of the village. Passive strategies such as skylight daylighting and natural cross-ventilation create a comfortable and low-carbon indoor environment.
More than a building, the Mawei Embroidery Workshop is a platform that connects intangible heritage transmission, women’s empowerment, community co-creation, cultural tourism development, and sustainable education.
It demonstrates how cultural preservation can become a powerful driver of rural revitalization and a greener future.