In 1997 Wang Jin began A Chinese Dream, a long-running project that explores the complex process through which objects acquire cultural authenticity. He hired skilled rural seamstresses to reproduce a silk and satin Peking Opera costume in translucent PVC sheets sewn with nylon thread. Thus, the costume's pre-industrial form and embroidery were faithfully rendered in industrial materials.

This photograph was taken when the artist donned the costume for a dance performance at the Ming imperial tombs outside Beijing.

Exhibited
Between Past and Future: Photography and Video from China.
International Center of Photography, New York, 2004.
David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago Museum of
Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL, 2004-2005.
Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA, 2005.
Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2005-2006.
Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, 2006.
Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara CA, 2006.