China Adorned

A rich visual encyclopaedia of the fashion, adornment and rituals of Chinese ethnic minority groups, through the full cycle of life events.

Aesthetic influences drawn from China have long resonated throughout Western art, design and thought. China Adorned challenges the monolithic idea of ‘Chinese’ culture and fashion, turning the lens on the rich clothing traditions of ethnic minority groups.

Drawing on three decades of research by cultural anthropologist Professor Deng Qiyao, the book documents and demystifies the customs, rituals and mythology of more than 30 minorities through their clothing and accessories. Deng’s never-before-published archival photos sit alongside stunning contemporary imagery by photographer Cat Vinton that showcases fabrics, jewellery and the surrounding landscapes, helping readers to better understand the deep connections between people, place, ritual and adornment. Contributor essays delve further into the textiles and methods, the role of the artisan, the extraordinary resilience of material culture and the importance of preserving these traditions for generations to come.

About the Author

Professor Deng Qiyao is the Director and Guest Professor of the Visual Culture Research Center of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and the honorary Vice Chairman of the China Adventure Association. His previous positions include Director of, and active researcher at, the Institute of Ethnic Literature of the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences and Professor at the School of Sociology and Anthropology of Sun Yat-Sen University.

About the Photographer

Cat Vinton is an adventure and ethnographic photographer documenting ways of life - unobtrusively photographing the nomadic and Indigenous peoples of the world. She has been published in National Geographic online, The Guardian, Survival International, Oceanographic Magazine, Sirene Journal and Sidetracked Magazine. Photography is Cat's part in the storytelling of life, encouraging people to reconnect to the land and community, and to be a part of protecting our natural world and all the ways of life that coexist.