"I met wonderful people and felt a belonging I had long been seeking," said Tian Shuyu, a 20-year-old student at St. John's College in the US.

After years of traveling in search of connection, both Tian and Ju often felt a sense of loneliness and found it difficult to build deep relationships. But on their trip to Jiangyong, they discovered how naturally emotional connections can arise.

For Man Wenxi, 20, a student at South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province, learning nyushu became a journey of discovering other women's experiences as well as her own identity.

"Women's souls across generations and identities are converging, growing into a shared spiritual space where we can express ourselves freely," Man said.

"It's in this space that my design work comes to life."

Wang Zilu from the Chelsea College of Arts reflected on how nyushu inheritors weave vibrant threads into bands and garments that enrich their daily lives, threading in the joys, sorrows, passions and hopes of life.

"We honor their wishes, once whispered, with art that breathes in the present, alive in its making," she said.

Sang Yihan and Gao Yuxi contributed to this story.

Contact the writer at houchenchen@chinadaily.com.cn.