Shuye Zhang
Textile Craft Practice by Chinese Craftspeople from 1978 Onwards: Establishing Identity, Agency and Social Value

In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, with the progress of modernisation, industrialisation and commercialisation, Chinese traditional craft industry has undergone huge change and gradually been replaced by modern machine production. This thesis aims to study contemporary craft practice of Chinese craftspeople working in weaving, dyeing and embroidery, exploring how they have earned a living, built their identity, and constructed cultural, economic, social and even political agency through their craft and art practice.