2026 "New Creation of All Things - Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Design Exhibition" ended at Somerset House in London

China News Service, London, September 29 (Reporter Ouyang Kaiyu) The 2026 "New Creation of All Things-China Intangible Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Design Exhibition" recently concluded at Somerset House in London. The exhibition brings together nearly 150 sets of works by more than 70 Chinese and foreign artists, attracting tens of thousands of overseas people to watch the exhibition, and brings to a successful conclusion the European series of exhibitions that lasted for three years and toured Paris, Milan and London.

Pictured is the event site. Provided by the organizer Sunshine Media Group

This exhibition is co-curated by Sudan and Yang Lan. The three-year touring exhibition has progressed step by step, starting with the Paris exhibition exploring "man and nature" and the Milan exhibition interpreting "man and society". This London exhibition focuses on "people and self", with the theme of "knowing the heart through things", relying on the traditional philosophy of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, and setting up three units of clearing the mind, cultivating the mind, and nourishing the mind. It transforms Eastern philosophy into a perceptible contemporary exhibition narrative and responds to the spiritual dilemmas such as anxiety and internal friction common in modern society.

The exhibition builds a spiritual system of "observing things with the heart, creating things with concentration, and connecting things with the heart", allowing hand-made materials such as wood, stone, pottery, lacquer, and silk to become the carrier of craftsman spirit, ancient and modern thoughts, and dialogue between Chinese and foreign emotions, allowing static objects to generate warmth and resonance that spans time and space.

During the exhibition period, the ingenuity of Oriental handicrafts and the wisdom of life have attracted high recognition from all walks of life overseas. Li Liyan, Minister Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in the UK, commented that the exhibition shows the perfect evolution of intangible cultural heritage traditions and contemporary design. Guests such as Peter Phillips, a member of the British royal family, and Dame Darcy Bassell, former principal dancer of the Royal Ballet, praised the exhibition, saying that the exhibition deeply connected Chinese culture with public life and achieved widespread dissemination.

Pictured is the exhibition site. Provided by the organizer Sunshine Media Group

This exhibition covers diverse intangible cultural heritage categories such as ceramics, lacquerware, embroidery, woodwork, and metal. It gathers innovative works and is open to the public for free, breaking down barriers in the art circle. The exhibition also reached a cooperation with the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Foundation (QEST) of the United Kingdom to build a bridge for the exchange of handicrafts between Chinese and British youths and facilitate the two-way development of civilizations.

At a time when AI creation is becoming more popular, the exhibition has triggered deep thinking among overseas public opinion. Curator Yang Lan proposed at the London Design Forum that the muscle memory, material perception and the experience of unity carried by hand are unique human wisdom that cannot be replaced by artificial intelligence.

As an official project of the London Design Festival, this exhibition echoes the hand-made concept of the British century-old Arts and Crafts movement. Forbes, FAD, FLO, Prestige and many other British media pointed out that this exhibition regards Chinese handicrafts as a living and flowing cultural tradition, using utensils as a bridge and meeting souls, making Eastern philosophy the civilized answer to settle the contemporary people's hearts. (over)