Xue Ting: Tibetan carpets can last up to a hundred years and be passed down for three generations. Tibetan carpets were among the first batch recognized as national intangible cultural heritage in China. We are dedicated to preserving and promoting these traditional skills.

B: I’m now lying on a Tibetan carpet known as ‘soft gold,’ surrounded by a lifelike Tibetan girl and yaks. I’m so happy! It feels so dreamy!

Traditional Tibetan carpets are hand-woven from yak hair or Tibetan wool, often referred to as ‘Xining white feather.’ Alongside Persian and other oriental art carpets, Tibetan carpets are celebrated as one of the ‘three famous carpets’ in the world.

Xue Ting / Carpet company owner

Xining is known as the capital of snow leopards. We can create beautiful crafts featuring the snow leopard, capturing its striking eyes and overall shape in a lifelike manner. This work, I believe, reflects a harmony of tradition and modernity.

I really like this one. I chose a theme featuring a dragon surrounded by auspicious clouds.

Xue Ting, born in the 1980s in Shanxi, has a profound passion for Tibetan carpets. After graduating in 2007, she leveraged favorable policies to start her business in Qinghai.

X: A piece like this will surely inspire a longing for the beautiful landscapes of Qinghai

Tibetan carpets serve as our cultural ‘business card’ to the world, helping to share our heritage.

Hand-weaving techniques of Tibetan carpets are carefully preserved, as they are deeply intertwined with the daily lives of the people here. When you visit a Tibetan home, you’ll see Tibetan carpets adorning tables, beds, and sofas throughout the space.

X: I can teach you how to weave.

X: First, tie the blue thread to the back thread. It takes an entire day to weave about two centimeters. To complete a full row, it takes around two to three hours. Weaving a carpet like this by hand takes at least nine months to a year.

Burmie: It takes almost a year!

X: In the past, artisans wove carpets without any drawings. They relied solely on their memory to recreate auspicious clouds from their imagination.

Although slow work produces fine products, Xue Ting hopes to take Tibetan carpets beyond the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and adapt to the market. She believes that innovation and increased production are the only paths forward.

X: We are currently pursuing a path that integrates traditional craftsmanship with modern technology. While we do utilize machines to create patterns, but the floral textures you see cannot be replicated by machines. However, with this technology, we can weave a carpet in just a few days.

Over the past seventeen years, Xue Ting has turned Tibetan carpets into a global business card, employing a traditional yet innovative cultural industry model. Last year alone, her exports exceeded USD9 million, with numerous cruise ships and international five-star hotel groups among her customers and users of her carpets.

X: There are over 200 cruise ships worldwide. Last year, we completed carpet installation work for more than a dozen cruise ships, and our carpets are also featured in luxury hotels across Italy, the United Kingdom, and many hotels across the United States, including those in Las Vegas.

B: What do you find most challenging about expanding your business?

X: It is very difficult.  

In 2012, we introduced the world's most advanced loom equipment from Europe. At that time, we were the first company in China to acquire this equipment. Even with state-of-the-art machinery, it was tough to promote our product since many didn’t know that we had it.

We wanted to create carpets for commercial use, but foreign clients often asked us, ‘Which hotels have you supplied before?’ Without an established reputation, it can be very challenging to secure your first client.

Tibetan carpets are crafted from high-quality, naturally flame-retardant wool. Xue Ting believes that these premium products will gain broader recognition, particularly in high-end hotels, with Hong Kong as a stepping stone to the global market.

X: Our first business deal came through Hong Kong with a client in Dubai. When we initially began to develop the market, we chose Hong Kong as our primary hub. At that time, we cooperated with a design company in Hong Kong to help spread the word about our new loom and its capabilities. Coincidentally, they were working with a Dubai hotel in the world’s tallest building at the time. The competition to cooperate with them was extremely fierce.  

The hotel wanted carpets that were different from traditional ones, which led to a lot of specific design requirements. Traditional looms simply couldn’t produce. But once they learned about our unique selling points and advantages, we seized the opportunity and ultimately secured the order from Dubai.

Hong Kong has long been Qinghai's top source of overseas investment. As of the end of 2023, nearly 60% of Qinghai's utilized foreign capital came from Hong Kong. Xue Ting believes that Hong Kong’s role as a ‘super connector’ is crucial.

X: Hong Kong is geographically closer to the Chinese mainland, making it very convenient to establish connections. Additionally, with Hong Kong's strong design sector, we can engage in designer consultations and train our designers, which offers valuable insights. Hong Kong's extensive global network can help many of our domestic products reach a wider array of countries and regions around the world.

Qinghai was one of the most prosperous main roads in the Tang Dynasty, known as the ‘Qinghai Road’ of the ancient Silk Road. In the 21st century, under the Belt and Road Initiative, these exquisite Tibetan carpets, carrying auspicious blessings, journey from the Three-River source to Hong Kong and beyond, weaving a happy life for more and more people around the world.