For instance, when they first explored office furniture applications, they struggled to deal with how to maintain the authentic handwoven quality while achieving the polished finish expected in professional environments.

Precision laser-cutting ensures flawless base shapes, while a resin infusion process seals the natural fibers without compromising their tactile quality or breathability, she explains, adding that it's not about "replacing the human touch but enhancing it".

"The soul of each piece still comes from our weavers' hands, and we're simply giving their work the finishing it deserves to compete in commercial markets," she says.

Like Deng, Chen Lingkai, son of the master rattan weaver Chen Liangshun, has carried his family's legacy since college.

Using his marketing know-how, he set up an online shop on the e-commerce platform Taobao in April 2016 when he was a sophomore to test online sales channels and alleviate family financial pressures.

The first order — two handwoven chairs — arrived unexpectedly.

"I completed the entire transaction on my phone," Chen Lingkai recalls with amusement.

The digital floodgates soon opened, with sales breaking 10,000 yuan ($1,395) in May, doubling to 20,000 yuan by June, catapulting the family craft into ecommerce's fast lane.

Upon graduation in 2018, he took full reins of the business' digital transformation, and established an e-commerce company, assembling a specialized team to implement an innovative "cooperative, artisans and online platforms" model.

From packaging to logistics, customer service to cross-border sales, Chen Lingkai's operations have since expanded across other major e-commerce platforms, including JD.com and Pinduoduo.

As supply fell behind the growing market demand, he initiated a community-based training program in 2018 that turned idle hands into skilled artisans.