A remarkable record of Miao batik, told through the lives and voices of the women who carry the tradition.

Memory on Hands explores the traditional batik practices of Miao communities in Guizhou Province, Southwest China, through the stories of two Miao craftswomen, Sister Yang and Sister Li.

Developed through nearly five years of fieldwork, interviews, observation and workshops, the book moves beyond looking at batik simply as a decorative textile tradition. Instead, it places the makers themselves at the centre — documenting their memories, experiences and the cultural knowledge carried through their hands.

The book records more than 100 traditional wax-drawn patterns from Miao communities in Rongjiang, Danzhai and Huishui counties, exploring the stories and meanings associated with individual motifs. Alongside this extraordinary visual archive, it follows Sister Yang and Sister Li as inherited craft becomes intertwined with migration from village to city, changing livelihoods, museums, tourism and the commercialisation of traditional handicrafts.

At its heart, Memory on Hands asks a question that remains deeply relevant today: how can traditional knowledge continue to live when the world surrounding its makers is changing?

For Yi Crafts, this is particularly meaningful. We have long shared Miao wax-resist batik through our workshops and collection of textiles in the studio. The book provides another way to encounter the tradition — not only through its beautiful indigo cloth and intricate wax lines, but through the people, places and lived experiences behind them.

We are delighted that Memory on Hands is the first book selected for the Yi Crafts collection.

A beautiful and valuable resource for anyone interested in textiles, batik, indigo, craft, anthropology, Chinese ethnic minority cultures and the relationship between traditional knowledge and contemporary life.

Inside the book

The life stories of Miao batik makers Sister Yang and Sister Li

More than 100 documented wax-drawn Miao patterns

Research from communities across Guizhou Province

The cultural meanings and stories behind batik motifs

Discussions of migration, cultural inheritance and changing rural life

The challenges and opportunities facing traditional craft in contemporary China

Language: English

Selected by Yi Crafts

Craft is not simply something we inherit from the past. It lives through people, their hands, their memories, and the knowledge they pass forward.

Please note: this book is available for pre-order and will be dispatched on 11 November.