Traditional Miao silver craftsmanship has met the modern era in Kaili, Guizhou province, as Pan Xue, 23, an inheritor of the unique cultural heritage, presents it to the world through livestreaming.

Pan is a member of the ethnic group and an inheritor of the ancient cultural heritage. The body ornaments, crafted in silver, are indispensable to a Miao bride's dowry. A complete set of silver decorations in a dowry include a hat, bracelets, a collar and anklets, weighing a total of 6 to 9 kilograms.

When she was 12 years old, Pan followed her grandmother to a silversmith's workshop to order silver creations. She saw the glowing metal turned into different shapes — flowers, birds and butterflies — in the silversmith's hands and felt the charm of the traditional craft. That's when she began to learn it herself.

In 2019, Pan graduated from Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, with a major in ethnic musical instruments. Instead of becoming a teacher or joining the local ethnic orchestra, however, she chose the path of a silversmith.

With changes in mindsets and lifestyles, younger generations of Miao people have flocked to China's big, modern cities and often lose touch with their ethnic traditions. Pan wanted to preserve them.

She began to record the process of making the Miao silver decorations through short videos, hoping to revive the handicraft online. Her 94 shows have attracted 1.14 million views on Kuaishou, a popular Chinese app.

As her fan base has grown, more silver decorations have been sold outside the province. Pan also explored a way for traditional silver workers to improve their incomes.

"In the past, only one or two silver decorations could be sold a day by traditional workshops. Currently our online sales can exceed 80,000 yuan ($11,960) a month through the livestreaming platform," she said.

Zhao Yandi in Guiyang contributed to this story.