Peaceful Mind, Great Fortune: Notes on an Investigation of the Miao Community in Panjiayuan Flea Market

Author: Yang Qungeng & Mo Mo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: The Miao embroiderers of Panjiayuan Flea Market—they brought ancient epics to Beijing; they brought the "field" to Beijing; they brought Miao embroidery to Beijing. They are entrepreneurs in the cultural industry, leaving behind the unending ancient songs of the Miao people. Some say that Miao embroidery is an "epic worn on the body." According to the understanding of mainstream culture, those who create and pass down epics should be the elite of a nation. However, the history of the Miao people subverts this way of thinking. Those who created the epics did not "leave their names in the annals of history" but were instead the "grassroots," the ordinary people scattered across various Miao villages. An Shen Da Ji records the stories of the Miao embroiderers in Panjiayuan Flea Market in the form of essays. The protagonists, such as Pan Feng, truthfully narrate the historical stories of several generations of Miao people and the hardships they endured to preserve folk culture. The work is accompanied by numerous related images and photographs, adding to its authenticity and vividness. Through the work, readers can gain a deeper understanding of Miao folk customs and traditions, as well as the living conditions of the Miao embroiderers, especially their situation in Panjiayuan Flea Market. This is also a work depicting the vendors of Panjiayuan Flea Market.