In a deep valley in southwest China's Yunnan Province, the Lady Amherst's pheasant and the people of the Dulong ethnic group are both favored by rainbows. Nature endows the bird with iridescent plumage and the Dulong people with skills to reproduce them on rugs.

Dulongjiang, known as the "last uncharted land in Yunnan," is located on China's southwestern border between the Hengduan Mountains and the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. The place was once shrouded in mystery until a highway connecting the valley to the outside world was fully opened in 2014.

The Dulong rug is used as clothing during the day and bedding to keep warm at night. It is a traditional ornament of the ancient Dulong people. Plant pigments and fibers are ingeniously combined to make the beautiful blanket. In December 2022, the Dulong rug making technique was included on the fifth representative list of provincial intangible cultural heritage items of Yunnan.

For more:

Where Nature Meets Culture: From fruit peel to medicinal ingredient

Where Nature Meets Culture: From toxic plant to precious paper

(Cover is a still, designed by CGTN's Huang Ruiqi)