Young artisans and visiting students are learning Miao silversmithing in Maliao Village, Guizhou, where traditional techniques meet new designs.
The sound of hammers rings through the workshops of Maliao Village in Xijiang Town, Leishan County, Guizhou Province, in southwest China. At a workbench, young silversmith Pan Jinyin leans over a piece of silver and shows several students from other parts of China how to draw it into thin wire.
“Keep the hammer straight, strike evenly and slowly stretch the silver,” he tells them as he demonstrates. The students gather around him, holding up their phones to record each step.
Pan studied design at university. In 2020, he returned home to learn silversmithing from his uncle, Pan Shixue. Although he grew up around the craft, mastering it took time. He spent a year learning before he could take orders independently.
Today, Pan divides his time between making silver jewellery and teaching students. Many travel from other provinces to learn the craft. Some have since become his friends and even recommend customers to him.
From Traditional Silverwork to Everyday Designs
Located on the northern slopes of Leigong Mountain, Maliao is known as a village of silversmiths. The village is known for its Miao silverwork, which local artisans continue to practise and develop.
In 2009, Pan Shixue returned to his hometown to relearn the traditional craft passed down through his family. A decade later, he began posting short videos of the silver-making process and photos of his work on Chinese social media platforms. The posts gradually attracted online orders and young people keen to learn the craft in person.
“Most of our orders now come from online platforms,” Pan Shixue says. His products have expanded from traditional silver ornaments worn with Miao ceremonial dress to items for everyday use. He estimates that the range now includes more than 1,000 product types.
“Modern tastes tend to favour simpler designs. We need to preserve traditional forms while finding ways to incorporate them into contemporary products,” he says.
The display shelves in his workshop reflect this approach. They hold plum-blossom hairpins, filigree drop earrings, a silver handbag and a watch strap made from silver wire. There are also silver teacups and larger decorative installations.
Pan Shixue says he adapts his designs to changing demand, incorporating Miao motifs and patterns into products that suit contemporary tastes.
Young People Come to Learn the Craft
As interest in the village’s silverwork has grown, local artisans have begun offering training courses. The programmes range from seven days to a month. Hundreds of people attend each year, most of them young people from other provinces. Some overseas students also come to learn, using translation devices to communicate with their instructors.
Shiqi, a freelance worker from Guangdong Province, signed up for a 15-day course after visiting Maliao during China’s National Day holiday. She had previously studied ceramics in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, and has a keen interest in handicrafts.
“Making silver jewellery is harder than I expected. For now, I’m learning traditional techniques from my teacher. Later, I’d like to try designing my own pieces,” she says.
Shiqi says many young people see traditional crafts as a hobby and a way to unwind.
Meanwhile, 60-year-old silversmith Li Guanghai has spent more than four decades making silverware. After running a silver jewellery shop elsewhere, he now works alongside other village artisans on an art installation featuring silver-edged mirrors commissioned by a client in Shanghai.
In the past, much of his work involved making traditional silver ornaments for Miao families. Today, he also makes products aimed at younger customers. The designs may change, but traditional techniques such as engraving and soldering remain part of the process.
Additional reporting by Yanling.
If you liked this article, why not read: Why Are Young People Returning to a Chinese Village for Lacquer?
