Chinese Style Art and Design Exhibition in Europe

The Chinese Style Art and Design Exhibition European Tour, organised in part by China’s Ministry of Culture, Tsinghua University Academy of Arts and Design, and La Centre Culturel de Chine à Paris, as well as a host of others, was held in Paris and Brussels from February 25 to March 31, 2016.

Inheritance | Innovation | Integration

Dr. Zhao Chao, Head of Tsinghua University’s Department of Industrial Design, Academy of Arts and Design faculty of Industrial design, Academy of Arts & Design, was the curator and academy director of the event. The theme of the exhibition, Inheritance, Innovation, and Integration, aims to showcase China’s vast cultural and social diversity.

More than 40 Chinese designers were represented in the 120 original works which were selected for the exhibition. Participants included many Chinese corporations and colleges, such as Tsinghua University, Huawei, and Hisense, each showcasing their own ideas of traditional and modern inheritance, and its application within society.

Chinese Culture Showcase

Among the works that were featured, some focused on the innovative inheritance of Eastern culture and values; some used modern technology to present humanistic concerns in society; while others exhibited the philosophy of harmony between man and nature.

Also featured were services and products to tackle the problem of an aging population, merging the inheritance principles of Eastern and Western societies.

Design In China For The World

The exhibition tour hoped to showcase China’s determination and achievements in transforming the common label of “Made in China” to a more appropriate label, “Design in China,” as the economy continues to develop and transform.

Foreign visitors to the exhibition commended the designers’ passion and courage, claiming that each piece of art successfully embodied unique Chinese elements.

This exhibition was the latest push in a continued effort to broaden the reach of Chinese Culture.

This art not only represented a modern interpretation of Chinese tradition, but also reflects China’s moral viewpoint and stand in this new globalized world, highlighting the scene of Chinese Culture through the unique scope of the design industry.

Design works from the Tsinghua University Academy of Arts and Design

Scarves, designed by Zhang Baohua

(From Office of Global Communications and Outreach)