Folk arts and crafts used to play a significant role in satisfying people's basic needs, beautifying their lives and documenting the histories and values of different ethnic communities.

Demonstrations of two such folk arts were given at the National Art Museum of China on Sept 19, as part of a public-education program designed for an ongoing exhibition about poverty alleviation.

Pan Yuzhen, a member of the Miao ethnic group and an inheritor of Miao embroidery from Guizhou province, and Liu Jieqiong, an inheritor of paper-cutting from Shaanxi province, showed their mastery of traditional handicrafts that have been passed down for generations in their places of origin.

Preserving and marketing handicrafts have become major channels to improve the livelihoods of people inhabiting less-developed, remote regions across China.