Members of the group display their folk costumes as they pose for a photo at a square in the county. [Photo/China Daily] 

Spreading the word

In 2014, she decided to further spread the Yugur culture by building a village where visitors could see various artifacts and get a glimpse of the group's traditional daily life.

The Sunan county government allocated 20,000 square meters of land for the settlement, and Ke paid the construction fees of 6 million yuan.

"I only had 200,000 yuan, so I borrowed the rest from relatives, friends, employees. I also got loans from banks, thanks to my good reputation in the county," Ke said.

Despite her debts, she insists that entry to the village will remain free, as it has been since its 2015 opening. In 2016, the village attracted about 40,000 people, its highest visitor numbers so far.

"Free entry means a lot of people will come to learn about our Yugur culture," Ke said.

Her family constantly encourages her to continue obtaining artifacts for her collection.

"My mother, a herder, taught me to cherish our culture and old items. My husband undertakes nearly all the household chores, and I have taught my son and daughter-in-law how to design and make handicraft items so they can help me with my work," Ke said.

So far, her collection has been displayed in Beijing, Shanghai, Shandong province and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Wang Luxi contributed to this story.