Beijing Women's Federation

Short video creator Li Ziqi recently released videos featuring intangible cultural heritage, including lacquerware and floral embroidery. With their exquisite artistry and poetic visuals, the videos provided audiences at home and abroad with a glimpse into the unique charm of Chinese culture and aesthetics.

In Beijing, a new-generation inheritor of intangible cultural heritage is also working to rediscover the cultural significance of traditional arts. She is breathing new life into the iconic Eight Imperial Handicrafts through innovative approaches, making these ancient techniques more accessible to young audiences. Let’s hear from Yang Ning, Deputy Director of the Beijing Eight Imperial Handicrafts Museum, as she shares how these time-honored crafts are being revitalized and presented with renewed brilliance.

In the museum’s main exhibition hall, the live stream host guided international viewers through an up-close look at nationally recognized intangible cultural heritage crafts, including gold inlay, filigree inlay, cloisonné, ivory carving, jade carving, lacquer carving, Beijing embroidery, and palace carpets. These exquisite palace crafts captivated the audience, earning widespread admiration.

Later, Yang provided insights into the various categories of the Eight Imperial Handicrafts and shared stories of how these traditional skills—designated as intangible cultural heritage—have been preserved, innovated, and promoted.

Young Talent Revitalizes Traditional Crafts

With a background in journalism and communications, Yang joined a renowned Beijing heritage brand (now recognized as a China Time-Honored Brand) after graduation. Inspired by the quiet beauty of national treasures and the unwavering dedication of intangible cultural heritage inheritors, she committed herself to preserving and promoting these traditional crafts.

Over more than a decade of effort, Yang helped establish the Beijing Eight Imperial Handicrafts Cultural Development Company, Museum, and Association, creating an integrated development platform. She also brought together eight national-level intangible cultural heritage projects and over a hundred inheritors at risk of losing their craft, working collectively to expand the global presence and influence of Chinese traditional craftsmanship.

Beyond preservation, Yang actively contributed to cultural product development, collaborating with inheritors to blend traditional aesthetics with contemporary design, leading to the creation of handmade lacquer brooches and gold-inlaid jewelry boxes, which received widespread acclaim.

Eastern Aesthetics Shine on the Global Stage

As an intangible cultural heritage inheritor, Yang leads a predominantly female team at the museum, where she has seen firsthand the vital role that women’s meticulous nature, resilience, and dedication play in promoting Chinese culture.

Over the past decade, her team has hosted over 600 cultural exchange events worldwide, covering Russia, the United States, Germany, France, and Canada. In 2019, she was invited to Paris Fashion Week to present exquisite palace art, bringing the unique charm of Eastern aesthetics to the global stage. Her team has also hosted live exhibitions at major international events, including the Belt and Road Forum, APEC Summit, and Beijing Cultural Forum, offering guests an immersive experience of these traditional craftsmanship and a deeper appreciation of the rich Chinese culture. International visitors have remarked, “Each craft tells a story of Chinese aesthetics, reflecting a universal pursuit for beauty.”

Promoting Intangible Cultural Heritage Through Public Welfare Initiatives

Yang and her team excel at integrating intangible cultural heritage into diverse settings, using public welfare initiatives to instill cultural confidence among women and children. Since 2019, they have organized cultural outreach programs in ethnic minority regions, including Moqi in Inner Mongolia and Ningcheng and Fengning in Hebei Province. These programs feature lectures, hands-on activities, and on-campus exhibitions.

In a creative blend of tradition and sports, the team designed gold-inlaid lacquered hockey sticks for a technical school in Moqi, known as the “Hometown of Chinese Hockey.” The students were thrilled to see the uniquely crafted sticks and expressed their aspirations to showcase them on global stages, introducing Chinese intangible heritage to athletes worldwide.

Yang Ning and Li Ziqi represent a new generation of advocates for intangible cultural heritage. Their delicate and keen feminine qualities resonate with traditional arts, inspiring more young people to embrace Chinese traditional culture. Driven by a strong sense of purpose, they are sharing China’s stories with the world, garnering widespread global recognition.

This live stream alone attracted over 110,000 views globally, contributing to a total of more than 15.34 million clicks.