Lineage woven in threads

Most people are familiar with history recorded in written language and passed down through generations.

But Deng believes that another dimension of history has often been overlooked — the cultural memory recorded through images and craftsmanship rather than words. These histories may be carved in rock and wood, or woven into textiles.

"Even if many ethnic groups do not have their own written language, they preserve history through oral traditions — songs, stories and myths. Often, the stories about the patterns on their clothes align with their oral cultural history, and many elements can even be compared with what is recorded in ancient Han ethnic texts," he says.

One example, Deng explains, concerns a legendary war about 5,000 years ago between Chiyou, a tribal leader and mythical figure, and Huangdi, the Yellow Emperor. The story appears on traditional Miao clothing, as people of the Miao ethnic group regard Chiyou as their ancestor.

"Although historical records of the conflict are limited, the story lives on through ancient Chinese mythology. People of the Miao ethnic group led by Chiyou, though defeated, did not disappear but kept migrating and survived. Without a written language, their history has been preserved through oral tradition and visual imagery — both crucial areas for cultural research," he says.

In cultures without a written script, people use needles and thread to "write" myths, ancestral deeds and family histories onto their clothing. For them, garments are like unwritten books, pictorial histories and portable encyclopedias, he says.

Deng's long-standing passion for painting further deepened his fascination with ethnic clothing and visual culture. Over the decades, he has traveled extensively across Yunnan, speaking with villagers, especially elders, attending festivals, weddings and funerals, and documenting traditions through thousands of photographs.

As an anthropologist, his study also covers the spiritual life of Chinese people, including mythology, religious beliefs and ritual practices. In 2011, Deng led a major national social sciences project investigating and digitally preserving China's religious art heritage.

His research focused on folk beliefs and Buddhism, particularly religious art. For several years he visited temples across China, speaking with people ranging from ordinary believers to respected monks. The fieldwork resulted in several books documenting these cultural traditions.

In 2014, in the Anthropology Department at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, professor Deng met veteran British literary agent Toby Eady and his wife, Chinese writer Xue Xinran. The couple had been searching for an author to write a book about ethnic ornaments in China.

Eady, who had represented literary works in more than 20 languages including Chinese, passed away in 2017 at the age of 76.

In the book's postscript, Xue recalls Aug 8, 2008, when the couple was watching the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games. Eady was astonished by the vibrant and colorful appearance of the representatives from China's 56 ethnic groups, each dressed in their traditional attire. He realized that he knew very little about China's ethnic diversity and that the rest of the world likely knew even less.