LEO JIANG

Jingmai Mountain, Yunnan · July 2026

Hands Pass
the Touch.

In Blang villages, women’s hands preserve knowledge through tea, textiles, food, and care. This exhibition traces the daily gestures through which cultural traditions continue.

Curated by Tingao (Leo) Jiang · Photographs by Tingao Jiang and Aurora Wei

Tea — An Yao displays traditional sour tea-making tools in Mangjing Upper Village.Photograph by Tingao Jiang
Devotion — A villager weaves Daliao, a bamboo ritual object, outside a temple.Photograph by Tingao Jiang
Fungi — Tang Yibin presents a wild mushroom found in the region.Photograph by Tingao Jiang
Flame — Yu Wan tends a hearth while preparing a meal.Photograph by Tingao Jiang
Pattern — Yu Wan holds a handwoven bag made in the Blang textile tradition.Photograph by Aurora Wei
Thread — Wang Xian weaves cloth using traditional techniques.Photograph by Aurora Wei
Essence — An Yao prepares sour tea made by her husband.Photograph by Aurora Wei
Sustenance — Fresh tea leaves are spread out to dry in a home in Wengji Village.Photograph by Tingao Jiang
Web — Spider webs cross the pillars of the Tea Spirit Altar.Photograph by Tingao Jiang
Road — A mist-covered path leads into Ailengshan Mountain.Photograph by Tingao Jiang

Culture, practiced
every day.

In the ancient villages of Jingmai Mountain, women’s work connects collective memory with daily life. Tea-making, weaving, foraging, and food preparation carry skills and beliefs from one generation to the next.

Through field research, interviews, and photographs, I wanted to make these often-overlooked contributions visible. Hands became the focus of the exhibition because they show knowledge in action.

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