1980s Tailor Shop: They forced me to step down? I pulled all orders!

In a small Jiangnan town in 1988, Shen Qinghe, a divorced seamstress, founded Qinghe Garment Workshop with her exquisite craftsmanship and integrity. She helped a group of vulnerable women workers build stable livelihoods. A large southern bulk order was on its way, yet her cousin Zhou Guilan led a mutiny: she demanded higher wages and tried to seize control of the factory, plotting to take the workshop for herself. Calm and unyielding, Shen Qinghe settled all workers’ salaries, then removed her private equipment and took all client orders away, leaving nothing but an empty workshop behind. Upholding her principles of fine workmanship, she built a brand-new factory and a training school for female tailors. Through her strength and credibility, she taught women to become self-reliant via skilled trades and stand firm on fair rules. In the end, she built a women’s enterprise rooted in honesty, where every woman could live with dignity.