Jin Ruirui, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress, is president of the Yi Embroidery Association in Mouding County, in Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, in southwest China's Yunnan Province. Jin is also general manager of Mouding County Jielu Yi Embroidery Culture Communication Co., Ltd. In recent years, Jin has helped more than 2,000 ethnic Yi women increase their incomes, by making embroideries. Jin has also supported many embroiderers as they have started their own businesses. She has been leading local embroiderers in "weaving" a new path to rural revitalization.
During this year's two sessions, Jin advanced proposals aimed at promoting development of the distinctive cultural industry of Yi embroidery in Chuxiong. She emphasized the importance of inheriting and promoting ethnic culture, expanding channels to help embroiderers increase their incomes, and boosting the high-quality industrial development of Yi embroidery.
In Chuxiong, Yi embroidery is an ancient craft that dates back more than 1,800 years. In recent years, Jin has been committed to placing Yi embroidery on the global stage. In September 2023, ethnic Yi costumes, featuring handmade embroidering, designed by Jin, made their debut at Milan Fashion Week, in Italy. Later, the creations she co-designed appeared at New York Fashion Week, in the United States, and Paris Fashion Week, in France.
In 2025, Jin continued to expand her international cooperation. In June, she reached cooperation agreements with brands and/or designers from several countries, including Thailand and France, during ethnic fashion shows as part of the Ninth China-South Asia Expo. In October, she visited Nicaragua, as a representative of Yi embroidery enterprises in Chuxiong, to participate in a design-and-fashion exhibition, during which she showcased ethnic Yi costumes.
While helping to advance the industrial development of Yi embroidery, Jin has focused on mental health education for rural children, whose parents have left home to work elsewhere, and on the protection of women's rights and interests. In 2024, she established "Jin Ruirui Legal Awareness Studio," in her company, to provide legal services, conduct legal-knowledge lectures and mediate disputes for embroiderers.
Photos from Interviewee
(Source: Women of China)
Editor: Lei Yang
