Story 6: Sustainable village in rural China - ATLAS project

ATLAS is a studio of multi-disciplinary designers based in Beijing and led by Catherine McMahon and Jenny Chou. Each project the studio takes on is an opportunity to articulate a contemporary narrative that bridges between cultures and context. In Dali, Guizhou, China they are working with the local community to conserve the interdependent ecosystem of wooden houses, terraced rice fields, and intangible cultural practices that tie the village together. DOUSA, which means“woman”in spoken language of the Dong people ( 侗族 ), was founded by the Dali village women , ATLAS and the Global Heritage Fund. The Co-op supports women business leadership and textile heritage preservation and education through open source design, sharing resources and profit.