Yixi Tian
Veiled by the Cloud
Miao medicine, a unique branch of traditional Chinese medicine, plays a vital role in some mountainous areas of China, where access to modern healthcare remains limited. With its rich knowledge of herbal remedies, traditional healing techniques, and personalized treatments, Miao doctors not only offer physical healing but also provide spiritual support deeply embedded in local culture. Their practices reflect a holistic view of life, where the body, nature, and community are inseparably connected.
Since 2022, I have followed my mother, who learned herbal medicine from Miao doctors, into the mountains of my hometown in the Qiandongnan region of Guizhou, observing and photographing these practitioners.
Through this process, I am not only documenting their daily practices and the lives they sustain but also reconnecting with the legacy of my own family. The project explores how traditional knowledge systems persist in the face of modernity. In an era when healthcare is increasingly standardized, the resilience of Miao medicine highlights the importance of care rooted in personal relationships, local ecology, and cultural traditions. It is not only an alternative way of healing but also a way of understanding the world—one that values slowness, mutual trust, and the subtle balance between humans and nature.
The title comes from the final line of a well-known classical Chinese poem about seeking a recluse who gathers herbs in the mountains:
“He stays deep in the mountain, I know not where, veiled by the cloud.”（只在此山中，云深不知处）
It evokes the sense of secluded lives and hidden knowledge, reflecting the invisible yet enduring presence of Miao doctors in the landscape.
Since 2022, I have followed my mother, who learned herbal medicine from Miao doctors, into the mountains of my hometown in the Qiandongnan region of Guizhou, observing and photographing these practitioners.
Through this process, I am not only documenting their daily practices and the lives they sustain but also reconnecting with the legacy of my own family. The project explores how traditional knowledge systems persist in the face of modernity. In an era when healthcare is increasingly standardized, the resilience of Miao medicine highlights the importance of care rooted in personal relationships, local ecology, and cultural traditions. It is not only an alternative way of healing but also a way of understanding the world—one that values slowness, mutual trust, and the subtle balance between humans and nature.
The title comes from the final line of a well-known classical Chinese poem about seeking a recluse who gathers herbs in the mountains:
“He stays deep in the mountain, I know not where, veiled by the cloud.”（只在此山中，云深不知处）
It evokes the sense of secluded lives and hidden knowledge, reflecting the invisible yet enduring presence of Miao doctors in the landscape.
