Vintage Patched Rice Sack Chabu

This chabu was cut and finished from a handwoven cotton rice sack dating to 1950s rural China. The sacks were found drying on a balcony in a remote mountain village near Chengdu, kept by a young couple who collect old fabrics to preserve their heritage. Woven by farmers, they were strong enough to carry rice for eighty years, and decades of patching, mending and stitching left the quiet marks of daily life on them: colorful woven lines, age-worn texture, and warm brown stains where the rice itself sat.

Each piece was sourced, cleaned, cut and finished by Taya, an artist and tea lover based in Hong Kong. Being vintage, no two are alike, and variations in texture, patching, color and size are part of what they are.

Vintage Patched measures approximately 122 by 25 cm.