Gan hair embroidery is an art that uses human hair as thread to create intricate designs on fabric. With a history of nearly 500 years, it is recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of Jiangxi Province. The word Gan itself is a shortened name for Jiangxi.

In the hands of Tao Yonghong, the 17th generation inheritor of Gan hair embroidery making skills, hair becomes the ink and colors of a painter that depict all sorts of objects such as landscapes, figures, flowers and birds.

Apart from inheriting the traditions, Tao has developed many customized works, sewing memories and blessings into the embroidery works for her clients.

Tao Yonghong threads a hair through a needle to make Gan hair embroidery at an exhibition center for intangible cultural heritage in Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, Sept. 13, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhou Mi)

Tao Yonghong makes a Gan hair embroidery work themed on Tengwang Pavilion, a historic landmark, at her studio in Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, Sept. 14, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhou Mi)