Deseng, an embroidery master among the “Wengxing Miao of southwestern China, makes music and art with her spinning wheel.
He enjoyed the songs of early morning when the hua mei showed off for the sun. He loved the songs of late afternoon when the winds tickled the branches and rocked the song thrush's cage as it hung over his garden of tender greens in the Chinese village of Shui Dian. When the tawny bird... Continue Reading →
Hope for a good luck horse
The boys took turns staring at the restless ponies pulling at the damp grass and the impatient girls hiding from the cold rain. The air smelled of wet earth, cotton candy and fried pork. Children laughed and jumped in the inflatable tent, and the adults lifted their voices in warning only when a water buffalo... Continue Reading →
Dressing our daughters
The girl flinched as her mother lifted the silver headdress on to the dish towel wrapped tight around her head as protection from rough edges. Dressing daughters requires delicate negotiation and creative fortitude for mothers of the Miao minority groups in southwestern China. Wedged into a tiny space under a village school's stairwell, Clear Water... Continue Reading →