CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 2/16/2026

Humble beauty in 'Chinese Patchwork'

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.