Immersed in the art of Qingyang sachet for nearly 20 years, Liu feels deep gratitude toward several generous mentors – one being Li Cunsong, deputy secretary of the China Artists Association and an expert on Chinese folk art.

"Mr. Li offered us guidance and encouragement. Back then we often wrote to each other. He inspired me to think bigger, and make Qingyang sachet relevant in today's world," Liu said.

"One time my husband and I wrote to him explaining the difficulties in the market and personnel training, and that we were about to give up," she said. "Later we received a passionate letter from Mr. Li, urging us to keep on trying. He wrote, 'You cannot yield in front on a little setback. As two people in their prime, you must forge ahead and keep Qingyang sachet heritage alive.'"

As it turned out, Li was right. Liu's company was awarded the title of demonstrative training base by the Ministry of Culture and listed as a key enterprise for cultural product export in 2014.