
"The Chinese culture and art
are composed of the imperial art created by the noble intellectuals on one hand––the art which symbolizes the wealth and the elegance––and the popular art on the other hand. The main creators of this art are peasants who live in the countrysides. Their creations are objects of everyday life. These objects have never been appreciated at the Imperial Palace. They are fabricated on the spot and disappear on the spot. They are rarely kept and hardly known by the others except by the natives themselves. "
– Xin Yang
Ancient director of Museum of the Forbidden City
and a close friend of François Dautresme

Button holes with eyes open.
A tinted shadow where there once was a pocket.
Faded orange cotton from hard work under the sun.
A fragment of summer plaid pattern.
A fragment of flowers from her blouse.
Inner lining from the elder's jacket.
Collars in a Cubist painting.

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EDITING: COPYRIGHT © MOOWON MAGAZINE / MONA KIM PROJECTS LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
GE BA PHOTOS: COPYRIGHT © MARK EDEN SCHOOLEY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
CHINA DOCUMENTARY PHOTO: © FRANÇOIS DAUTRESME / ARCHIVE COURTESY OF FRANÇOISE DAUTRESME. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
TEXT: COPYRIGHT © MONA KIM / MOOWON MAGAZINE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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