Bamboo knitting stays alive in Wuzhen

Upon graduation from the Zhejiang University of Science and Technology in 2010, Qian, despite strong opposition from his family and fellow villagers, came back to his hometown Wuzhen and founded Zhuyungongfang，a bamboo art studio dedicated to bamboo art and knitting.

But what propelled Qian’s success was the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, when China’s famous antique collecter and dealer Ma Weidu visited his studio during the first session of the conference in 2014 and bought bamboo knitting crafts worth 20,000 yuan.

During the following conferences in 2015 and 2016, Qian’s work was displayed at conference venues, arousing international focus on the art form.

Qian currently runs an online store to sell bamboo-related items, and operates a public WeChat account to promote the craft through online classes, with viewers topping 1,000 for each class.

"It's a strong medium for publicity," he told China Daily, adding it has become a vital channel to inherit and promote traditional Chinese arts and handicrafts, thus offering an excellent opportunity for their revival.