A few days ago, Hatma Enedu immersed herself in the world of embroidery with her teacher Lu Fuying, in spite of the intangible cultural heritage exhibition bustling and being very noisy.

Hatma Enedu, 45, is a Kazak embroiderer from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, while Lu is an inheritor of the well-known Su Xiu (Suzhou Embroidery) which originates from east China's Jiangsu Province.

Their story started in 2019 when Hatma Enedu took part in an embroidery training course in Jiangsu and met Lu. Two years later, Hatma Enedu made contact with the embroidery master and came under Lu's tutorship.

"Su Xiu Embroidery is complex and its techniques are diverse, and the selection of materials is exquisite. The differences between the two handicrafts, Kazak embroidery and Suzhou embroidery, inspire me and help me improve my traditional Kazak embroidery works," Hatma Enedu said.

Hatma Enedu said her teacher always helped her solve any problems she had and gave her helpful advice.

"Lu told me to make more small and elegant embroideries featuring characteristics of ethnic groups. This can help the local embroidery become more well-known to more people," she added.

At the end of July, an exhibition on the intangible cultural heritage was held in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, in which Lu was invited to participate.

Learning of Lu's arrival, Hatma Enedu and her family took part in the exhibition. Her twin daughters created embroideries on the site under the guidance of Lu.

"The two girls have been influenced by their mother. They love embroidery and are very talented and skillful. I really like to communicate with them," Lu said.

"I found that Kazak embroideries are closely related to life, with strong practicability, unique patterns and bold and bright colors, which also broaden my horizons," she added.

Hatma Enedu noted that she is striving to become an inheritor of Kazak embroidery, and hopes to contribute to the industry of the traditional stitchwork.

In recent years, Xinjiang has rolled out a number of measures to protect and inherit its intangible cultural heritage, including various training and exchanging activities.