Tracing the rich tradition of Chinese patchwork art in domestic and rural spaces, from its ancient origins to its contemporary manifestations
Patchwork design has a long history in China, dating back almost two thousand years to the arrival of Buddhism in the region. Across millennia, a thread can be followed from spiritual practitioners embracing patchwork textiles as a visual expression of their beliefs to patchwork's use in secular culture, where it was prized for its protective powers. Eventually, patchwork became a form of domestic decoration—and an outlet for artistic ingenuity—that continues in some areas of China's countryside today. Chinese Patchwork explores the creativity of 20th- and 21st-century Chinese makers who stitch fabric remnants into functional, decorative and auspicious articles for use in their homes and by their families. These objects display a wide variety of designs, patterns and techniques, and reflect both local tendencies and the individual aesthetics of the makers. Through a series of scholarly essays, museum curator Nancy Berliner illuminates the tradition and history behind the art form, as well as its links to Chinese visual culture; these texts are illustrated by stunning reproductions of lively and colorful patchwork examples. Interviews with contemporary makers offer readers firsthand insight into the practice and its intricacies. Additional photographs of the artists, their families and their works in situ by American photographer Lois Conner beautifully illustrate patchwork's bold visual presence in rural China.
Featured image is reproduced from 'Chinese Patchwork.'
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For Chinese New Year, what could be more beautiful than Chinese Patchwork? The subject of the exhibition One Hundred Stitches, One Hundred Villages, on view now at MFA Boston, the hand-patchworking tradition has been passed down via generation upon generation of rural Chinese women. Dating back even to the garments of ancient Buddhist and Daoist monks, who dressed in patched rags to convey humility, today, the practice continues across the provinces, as highlighted by the contemporary makers featured in this catalog. Pictured here, Ma Yunfang, Yujiahe Vilage. Photo by Lois Conner. continue to blog
FORMAT: Hbk, 9 x 11 in. / 240 pgs / 120 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $45.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $63 GBP £39.00 ISBN: 9780878469079 PUBLISHER: MFA Publications, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston AVAILABLE: 12/9/2025 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: WORLD
Chinese Patchwork Ancient Origins, New Expressions
Published by MFA Publications, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. By Nancy Berliner. Photographs by Lois Conner.
Tracing the rich tradition of Chinese patchwork art in domestic and rural spaces, from its ancient origins to its contemporary manifestations
Patchwork design has a long history in China, dating back almost two thousand years to the arrival of Buddhism in the region. Across millennia, a thread can be followed from spiritual practitioners embracing patchwork textiles as a visual expression of their beliefs to patchwork's use in secular culture, where it was prized for its protective powers. Eventually, patchwork became a form of domestic decoration—and an outlet for artistic ingenuity—that continues in some areas of China's countryside today.
Chinese Patchwork explores the creativity of 20th- and 21st-century Chinese makers who stitch fabric remnants into functional, decorative and auspicious articles for use in their homes and by their families. These objects display a wide variety of designs, patterns and techniques, and reflect both local tendencies and the individual aesthetics of the makers. Through a series of scholarly essays, museum curator Nancy Berliner illuminates the tradition and history behind the art form, as well as its links to Chinese visual culture; these texts are illustrated by stunning reproductions of lively and colorful patchwork examples. Interviews with contemporary makers offer readers firsthand insight into the practice and its intricacies. Additional photographs of the artists, their families and their works in situ by American photographer Lois Conner beautifully illustrate patchwork's bold visual presence in rural China.
