Chi-Lynn Lin
Position title: Ph.D. Candidate; AH303 ArchiTextile in Asia
Email: clin359@wisc.edu
Address:
206B Conrad A. Elvehjem Building
Office hours: Thursdays 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Education
M.A. Bard Graduate Center
M.A. Taipei National University of the Arts
B.A. Shih Chien University
Biography
Chi-Lynn works on temporary architectural materials, mainly textiles and glass, in China from the eighteenth to early twentieth centuries. Her research usually takes materiality and techniques as the solid foundation, combined with the discussion of sacred space, ritual practices, and cultural interchanges.
Chi-Lynn is especially interested in how people engage with space through objects. Thus, she considers objects as agents that impact the ways in which people perceive and act at a ritual venue. Being amazed by the visual and tactile effects these ritual settings create, she chose to write her dissertation on the topic of temporary ritual venues, which best demonstrate the power of objects in mediating people’s spatial experiences.
During the Ph.D. program, Chi-Lynn has lectured and published on architectural and domestic textiles. as well as temporary glass structures in the Qing court. She has had museum experiences which have played an essential role in her research including a .fellowship positions at the Palace Museum, Beijing. Before that, Chi-Lynn was a research assistant at the Chazen Museum of Art. While at the Chazen, she was honored to curate the exhibition Echoing Overseas: Asian Artistic Exchange.
Publications
“Invented tradition: the transformation of Chinese carpets in the 19th century.” In China’s 1800s – Material and Visual Culture, edited by Jessica Harrison-Hall, pp. 221-231. London: British Museum, 2024.
“From Heavenly Image to Earthly Spectacle: Monumental Hangings of Theatrical Figures in 19th Century China.” Arts of Asia (Summer 2023): 65-79.
“Transparent Shrine: Qianlong Emperor and His Glass Yurts.” In Conference Proceeding: The Twelfth International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS 12). Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2022.
Award(s)
2021 Douglas Schewe Award for Best Graduate Student Paper
“Tastes on the Move: Indian Chintz, European Printed Rugs, and Chinese Painted Carpets”
Primary Advisor(s)
Yuhang Li