This is an art album written by Yang Xianrang, a professor and former director of the Folk Art Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts of China. and Yang Yang. They spent over 10 years traveling all over the countryside in all China carrying out field research and collecting folk art. This book is an academic achievement and gives a vivid and detailed account of the origin, present situation and development of Chinese folk art. It includes folk art as diverse as batik dyeing, dough figures, embroidery and paper-cuts, and it is illustrated with color and black and white photos of the actual works. Such big a range and variety of folk art is rarely seen in one volume. The album with its 424 photographs explains the traditional symbols found on simple articles such as porcelain or bed covers and reflects the ordinary people's desire to enrich their lives with their own artistic endeavors. It will be very useful for all who are interested in and enjoy Chinese folk art.
