This carrier was made by women of the Shui community. The Shui are a minority group living mainly in southern Guizhou province and parts of Guangxi, although some Shui live as far south as Northern Vietnam, Laos and ThailandBats – symbols of good fortune, and butterflies – joy and longevity – are auspicious motifs familiar in the wider Chinese culture. The decorative technique is "horsetail embroidery". Small bundles of horsehair are wrapped with coloured silk threads to create long strands, then stitched down ("couched") onto flat cotton panels.
