Yang Xinghe, 28, is a deaf and mute Miao woman from Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Guizhou Province. /VCG Photo

Yang has lived in the silence world since she was diagnosed with congenital deafness at the age of three and her family was too poor to treat her. By dint of indomitable will, seven-year-old Yang began to learn traditional Miao embroidery from her mother. /VCG Photo

Over the past 20 years, Yang has inherited and integrated several embroidery techniques from the nearby villages. After cutting thousands of patterns and embroidering hundreds of clothes, she has become a well-known embroidery expert in the local area. /VCG Photo

With the price of traditional Miao clothes embroidered by her being recognized by more people, Yang can earn over 80,000 yuan (about 11,547 USD) annually by selling her needleworks. /VCG Photo