Networks of Touch: A Tactile History of Chinese Art, 1790-1840

In early nineteenth-century China, a remarkable transformation took place in the art world: artists among China’s educated elites began to use touch to forge a more authentic relationship to the past, to challenge stagnant artistic canons, and to foster deeper human connections. Networks of Touch is an engaging exploration of this sensory turn.

In this book, Michael J. Hatch examines the artistic network of Ruan Yuan (1764–1849), a scholar-official whose patronage supported a generation of a...