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Some Books on Chinese
Minority Costumes
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Below are some books
devoted to costumes and textiles of the minority peoples of
Southwestern China. This is by no means a comprehensive list--
just a random few publications that I have come across and have
found useful or interesting. I would be pleased to receive
your recommendations. We do not sell books; this listing is
for your information only.
To see our gallery's current inventory of textiles from the
area, go to Chinese Minority Textiles. |
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Miao Textiles from China. Gina
Corrigan. London, 2001. This small book is a good
introduction to the costumes of the Miao living in Guizhou
Province of Southwestern China. The articles shown are drawn from
the collection of the British Museum, and are the types most
familiar to collectors. Both full views of the garments and good
details convey an accurate feel for the textiles. The publication
is widely available and inexpensive. English text. |
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Bonding via Baby Carriers: The Art and Soul of the Miao and Dong
People. Yu-Chiao Liu Lan,
Christi Lan Lin, and Brenda Lin. 2001, Taipei. 168 pages,
innumerable color plates. Paper. This charming book
focuses solely on the embroidered and appliquéd baby carriers
made by two closely related Chinese Minority ethnic groups in
Guizhou Province. Photos show both full view and close-ups of
each piece, they are identified completely, and the symbolism
included is discussed. |
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Clothings and Ornaments of China's Miao People. The
Cultural Palace of Nationalities. 1985, Beijing. The Miao are
the minority group most well known for their lavishly
embroidered costumes, and this publication surveys them
nicely. It separates the various local styles, showing
complete costumes, details, and how the garments were worn. 212
pages, large format, with hundreds of color photos. English
text. |
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The Yao: The
Mien and Mun Yao in China, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. Jess
G. Pourret. Chicago, 2002. This book covers all aspects of the
Yao society, including their numerous migrations,
work, dwellings, religious paintings, manuscripts, elaborate
costumes and silver jewelry. The costume sections are
extensive and well illustrated. |
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| Writing with
Thread: Traditional Textiles from Southwest Chinese
Minorities. 2009, Honolulu. This
catalog documents an exhibition from the collection of Huang
Ying Feng and the Evergrand Art Museum in Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Several articles discuss the cultural significance of
clothing design and ornamentation--mainly in Miao culture,
but also other groups in Southwest China. The volume
is illustrated profusely with large, full-color photos.
Many complete costumes are shown, along with individual
items. It is a large paperback volume, with 430 pages.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in Minority
textiles. |
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Chinese National Costume Culture. 1998,
Beijing. 404 pages, 803 photographs, most in color.
This publication is entirely in Chinese-- both text and
captions. But the photos of Chinese minority peoples and their
costumes are magnificent. All areas of the country are included.
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The Traditional Miao Wax Printing. Yang
Wenbing and Yang Ce. 2002. 117 pages, 203 color illustrations.
Paper. This is a very nice survey of Miao batik work. The
authors attribute each style and piece to a specific place, and
discuss the full range of imagery and symbolism involved.
Chinese and English. |
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Costumes and Accessories of Chinese Minorities. Tseng
Yin Fu and Wong Yuan Shuei. 2000, Taipei. This large,
spectacular volume documents the costume collections of three
individuals: Zeng Yingfu, Won Yuanshui and Chen Cheng-hsiung.
It includes garments and accessories from the provinces of Yunnan,
Guizhou, Hunan, and Guangxi, as well as Hainan, Dongbei and Tibet.
The examples are exquisite, many being rare early pieces. 376 pages, with excellent color
plates. In Chinese and English. |
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The Chinese National Culture of
Costume and Adornment. Ed. Wei
Ronghui. 1992, Beijing. 330 pages. Innumerable color
plates. In this large, lavish volume, a separate section is
devoted to each of the 56 ethnic nationalities in China. Lovely
photos display the rich array of costumery found throughout the
country. Men's women's and children's clothing is shown, both
festival and everyday wear. Chinese and English text and
captions. |
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Miao Zhuang (Miao Clothing). Wang
Heng Fu, Ed. 2000, Beijing. 154 pages, profusely
illustrated. Lovely photos of Miao peoples and their
costumery throughout China's southwestern provinces. Chinese
text and captions only. |
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Guizhou's Hidden
Civilization. Zen Xianyang.
1999. 230 pages, profusely illustrated. Superb photos of
cultural traditions and customs throughout the province. Shown
are village architecture, landscapes, festivities, food, and
costumes. Text in Chinese; captions in Chinese and English. |
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Yunnan Zhuang Nationality. He
Zhengting, ed., 1997. This Chinese publication focuses solely on
the Zhuang Nationality peoples living in Yunnan Province.
It shows lots of costumes, but also discusses customs,
festivals, history, monuments, architecture and daily life in
both city and countryside. In Chinese and
English. |
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The Costumes and Adornments of Chinese Yi Nationality Picture
Album. Shi Songshan, ed.
Beijing, 1990. This publication grew out of a series of costume
exhibitions held in Beijing and in Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou
Provinces in 1986 and 1987. It shows wide costume variations
among the large Yi minority group, and includes research by a
group of Chinese scholars who carefully separate the styles of
various areas. 190 pages, large format, with innumerable large
color plates. English text. |
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Selected Collections of Yunnan
Nationality Museum. Gao Zongyu,
Yang Zhaolin, and Yu Xiaoyuan. 1995, Yunnan Fine Arts Publishing
House. 175 pages; 300 color illustrations. Paper. This
publication covers a broad range of crafts, but focuses on
contemporary Minority costume items. It identifies each item by
ethnic group and county of origin. Chinese and English. |
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The Clothes nd Ornaments of Yunnan Ethnic Groups. 1989.
302 pages. This small book has endless photos of the costumery
of the peoples living in Yunnan Province. Chinese text and
captions. |
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The Dress and Costume of Minority
Nationalities in the Western China. (Chinese
Title:
Western China Minorities Tribal
Costumes.)
Deng Qi Yao.
Si Chuan Jiao Yu Chu Ban She,
Hong Kong, 1993. 230
pages, with innumerable high quality photos of costume items
from most of the major groups. Text and captions are in Chinese
only. |
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The Art
of Ethnography: A Chinese "Miao Album." Translation
by David M. Deal and Laura Hostetler. Seattle, 2006. This is an
illustrated translation of a Chinese hand-painted folio from the
eighteenth century that used prose, poetry, and detailed
paintings to represent minority ethnic groups living in frontier
regions under imperial Chinese control. It has eighty-two
illustrations from the original album along with the
corresponding Chinese calligraphic text and annotated English
translations. Each entry depicts a different ethnic group
residing in Guizhou. 178 pages. |
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Silver and Silk: Textiles and Jewelry of Guizhou,
China. Phila McDaniel. La
Jolla, CA, 2002. This handsome Mingei Folk Art Museum
publication documents both costumes and silver jewelry in the
institution's collection. All of the pieces were gathered by Ms.
McDaniel in Guizhou. The strength of the catalog is its
full-page detail photos. Most of the costumes are modern,
with a sprinkling of earlier pieces. English text. 216
pages, with innumerable color plates. |
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| National Pattern Arts of China. 1990.
312 pages; 607 color illustrations. This is a picture book
with no text, but captions in Chinese and English. It
surveys folklore patterning in China, and the vast majority of
the examples are textile designs--both embroidered and woven.
Geographic and ethnic origins are identified. |
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Ethnic Costume from Guizhou: Clothing Designs and Decorations
from Minority Ethnic Groups in Southwest China.
Huang Shoubao, 1987, Beijing.
This very useful small book covers each of the main textile
techniques used by the peoples of Guizhou province for their
costumery: embroidery, brocade weaving and batik. Detail photos show
work from several minority groups, not only Miao, but also Dong,
Shui, Yi, Bouyei and Gejia. It is an informative small
volume, written by the director of a Guizhou province folk art
gallery. 104 pages; English text. |
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A Picture Album of China's Miao
Costumes and Ornaments. WU
Shi Zhong. Guizhou
Renmin Publishing, 2000, Guangzhou, Shenzhen.
This very large volume, with 628 pages, has hundreds of color
photos of costumes, including details. It localizes current-day
styles more precisely than some of the publications above,
identifying 173 different Miao village costumes. Chinese
and English text.
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| Chinese Embroidery: A World of Fable
and Color. Wang Yarong. 1985,
Tokyo. This small book is useful because it shows details in
embroideries from all over China, comparing and contrasting
styles. Good attention is given to the minority textiles.
Not everything is identified, but the subject choices are
delightful. A section on the embroidery stitches is
included. 160 pages, with innumerable color photos.
English text. |
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