The Second Exhibition: Auspicious Creations for the New Year – New Year Exhibition of Qing Dynasty Imperial Craftsmanship

August 24, 2026

As an important carrier of excellent traditional Chinese culture, the craftsmanship of Qing Dynasty imperial artifacts embodies the crystallization of wisdom and aesthetic excellence of artisans throughout history, making them invaluable cultural treasures. On January 31, 2026, the "Celebrating the New Year with Imperial Creations: A New Chapter in the Forbidden City – Special Exhibition of Qing Dynasty Imperial Artifacts", hosted by the Hebei Cultural Industry Development Research Center and the Hebei University Cultural Industry Research Institute, grandly opened at the Haibitai Art Center in Qinhuangdao.

This exhibition is supported by the academic achievements of the Palace Museum's open research project, "Research on Examples of Qing Dynasty Imperial Craftsmanship Inheritance," building a bridge for cultural dialogue spanning centuries for visitors, and further highlighting the responsibility and commitment of university research institutions in the activation and inheritance of cultural heritage.

This exhibition has received high attention and support from the cultural, academic, and artistic fields. Li Tao, former attaché of the Chinese Permanent Mission to the United Nations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and counsellor of the Department of Asian Affairs; Cao Baogang, President of the Hebei Social Cultural Relics Society; Zhang Hongwei, former President of the Forbidden City Publishing House and researcher at the Palace Museum; Du Hao, Chief Expert of the Hebei Cultural Industry Development Research Center and Dean of the Cultural Industry Research Institute of Hebei University; Zhao Lin, Dean of the School of Art and Design at Yanshan University, and other prominent guests gathered at the event, celebrating this cultural grand occasion with representatives from university art departments in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, media friends, and colleagues from various sectors.

In addition, the following guests also participated in the opening ceremony:

Lu Guoxin – Dean of the School of Arts, Hebei Agricultural University

Zhao Lisan – Counsellor of Hebei Provincial Government, Level 2 Professor at the School of Economics, Hebei University

Liu Jincheng – Dean of the School of Arts, Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology

Shang Chun – Director of Beidaihe Art Tribe, Hebei Federation of Literary and Art Circles

Liu Xingli – General Manager, Shangri-La Hotel, Qinhuangdao

Zhang Zekai – Representative, Marketing Head, Haibitai

As the curator of this exhibition, Professor Du Hao profoundly elucidated the academic foundations and cultural aspirations of the exhibition during the opening ceremony. He stated: "Our 'Research on Examples of Qing Dynasty Imperial Craftsmanship Inheritance' is by no means merely academic textual research. Instead, we hope to brush aside the dust of history, chart the trajectory of craftsmanship from the imperial court to the folk, from inheritance to innovation, and unearth the ingenuity and cultural genes embedded within." Professor Du Hao further explained that through this exhibition, "we hope to enable more people to appreciate the charm of Qing Dynasty imperial craftsmanship and understand its underlying historical and cultural connotations. More importantly, we hope to leverage these research findings to promote the living inheritance of traditional crafts, allowing these skills, which once enriched palaces and diverse national cultures, to continue as a vital component of our contemporary cultural life and an important vehicle for discovering cultural belonging and showcasing cultural confidence."

This exhibition also represents the fruition of years of academic research by the Hebei University Cultural Industry Research Institute. The team's three compiled works, including "Research on Examples of Qing Dynasty Imperial Craftsmanship Inheritance" and "Research on the Design and Communication Strategies of Cultural and Creative Products at the Palace Museum," serve as crucial academic support for interpreting the inheritance of imperial craftsmanship.

Professor Du Hao's leading work, "The Enduring Palace for 600 Years - The Forbidden City Cultural Circle (Hebei Volume)," focuses on the deep connection between Hebei and the culture of the Forbidden City. It systematically traces the symbiotic relationship between traditional crafts of the Yan-Zhao region and Qing Dynasty imperial artifacts, clearly outlining the cultural landscape where regional craftsmanship and imperial aesthetics intertwine. This work lays a solid academic foundation for interpreting the Hebei dimension of the Forbidden City cultural circle, making the historical value and inheritance lineage of Yan-Zhao traditional crafts increasingly clear and tangible.

Li Tao, former Director of the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, offered a new interpretation of imperial artifacts from a diplomatic perspective, stating: "In today's deeply globalized world, cultural inheritance is no longer about isolated development. Instead, it requires an open stance to allow traditional crafts to flourish with new vitality in international exchanges."

Hebei University's exploration of the "traditional craftsmanship + modern design" model and the modernized presentation of the special exhibition, which bring cultural relics to "life" and make traditional crafts "trendy," are highly consistent with the "upholding fundamental principles and innovating" philosophy upheld by diplomatic protocol work.

Cao Baogang, President of the Hebei Social Cultural Relics Society, focused on the contemporary mission of cultural heritage. He emphasized: "Cultural heritage is the root of a nation. The fact that Qing Dynasty imperial artifacts have been passed down through centuries of upheaval is not only due to the systematic discovery, organization, and protection by generations of researchers and guardians, but also requires us to continuously explore effective paths for innovative transformation, allowing ancient cultures to thrive in the new era."

Zhang Hongwei, researcher at the Palace Museum and former President of the Forbidden City Publishing House, interpreted the profound connotations of this exhibition from a scholarly perspective. In his view, the Palace Museum is a convergence of Chinese civilization's essence, and the various imperial crafts housed within should be revitalized in the present era. True inheritance, he believes, lies in finding a balance between upholding cultural authenticity and exploring innovative expressions, allowing the long-standing traditional culture to become a warm and solid foundation in the spiritual world of contemporary people.

This exhibition brings together precious works from various fields, including metal craftsmanship, woodworking, ceramic firing, textile embroidery, stationery making, and cultural relic restoration. It has invited 11 inheritors of intangible cultural heritage to showcase their representative works:

Wan Yanglei – Inheritor of Cloisonné Enamel Technique

Yu Yongchao – Inheritor of Beijing-style Rosewood Furniture Making

Zou Tianran – Representative Inheritor of Yishui Inkstone Making

Ma Weisheng – Inheritor of Filigree and Inlay Technique

Zhou Zihua – Inheritor of Imperial Carpet Weaving Technique

Feng Xinyan – Hebei Normal University Academy of Fine Arts and Design

Chen Fanggang – Inheritor of Wu-style Beijing Embroidery

Liu Ran – Representative of Ding Kiln Firing Technique (Great Song Ding Porcelain)

Tian Haitao – Inheritor of Gaoyang Cotton Textile Technique

Duan Hui – Inheritor of Gaoyang Plant Dyeing Technique

Li Jinling – Owner of Bianqinfang Guqin Studio

The exhibition also featured a cultural and creative products area, showcasing a collection of limited-edition items. Academic works by Professor Du Hao's team and Professor Zhang Hongwei's "The Guardians of the Forbidden City 1925-1949" were available for purchase, with author signings, adding a personal touch to cultural dissemination.

This exhibition not only offered visitors an immersive cultural feast but also explored a new model of cultural heritage—"academic research + exhibition dissemination + cultural and creative transformation"—and innovatively launched integrated development models such as "traditional craftsmanship + modern design", bringing dormant cultural relics to "life" and ancient crafts into the "spotlight". In the future, we will continue to cultivate the cultural resources of the Yan-Zhao region, with academics as the foundation and innovation as the wings, to allow more excellent traditional Chinese culture to flourish in contemporary times, contributing Hebei's wisdom and university strength to the construction of a culturally strong nation.

A new chapter unfolds in the imperial halls, heralding the New Year. Following the imperial craftsmanship standards, a century of intangible cultural heritage ingenuity continues. The artifact-making spirit of past eras, which spared no expense and sought only excellence, not only solidified into the noble and refined elegance of imperial objects but also harmonizes with the essence of Haibitai. Both, through craftsmanship that transcends time, interpret what constitutes enduring beauty.

Moshe Safdie and Kerry Properties have sculpted the Qinhuangdao coastline, using architecture as a language to converse with nature and redefine the city's skyline. With the design philosophy of "living in nature, one person, one garden," they practice pioneering ideal living, gently opening the boundary between window and sea in this unique habitat architecture at 39° North Latitude on the Bohai Sea.

Celebrating the New Year with Imperial Creations, a new chapter in the Forbidden City, the elegant charm of Qing Dynasty imperial artifacts transcends time, culminating in a cultural feast for the New Year. Centered on the Forbidden City cultural circle and guided by exquisite craftsmanship, this special exhibition allows the order and warmth of centuries-old imperial techniques to flourish anew between the mountains and the sea.

Curator/Artistic Director

Du Hao

Professor of Arts, Doctoral Supervisor

Chief expert of the research group for "Research on the Inheritance Examples of Handicrafts from the Imperial Workshop of the Qing Dynasty" at the Palace Museum, Dean of the Cultural Industry Research Institute at Hebei University, Professor, Doctoral Supervisor in Art Studies, expert committee member of the Chinese Cultural Industry Association's Academic Committee, Deputy Director of the Editorial Board for "Creative China" at the China Copyright Protection Center, Chairman of the Creative China Industry-Education and Academic Alliance, appointed expert for the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism's Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Coordinated Development Think Tank, and Chief Expert of the Hebei Cultural Industry Development Research Center.

In May 2020, proposed the concept of "Forbidden City Cultural Circle";

In May 2021, co-established the Hebei University Forbidden City Studies Research Center with the Palace Museum's Forbidden City Studies Institute;

In January 2022, applied for the Palace Museum's open research project "Research on Examples of Qing Dynasty Imperial Craftsmanship Inheritance";

In 2023, published "The Concept of 'Forbidden City Cultural Circle' and its Value" with "Creative China" by the China Copyright Center;

In 2024, published "Research on Examples of Qing Dynasty Imperial Craftsmanship Inheritance," "The Enduring Palace for Six Hundred Years: The Forbidden City Cultural Circle (Hebei Volume)," and "Research on the Design and Communication Strategies of Cultural and Creative Products at the Palace Museum";

In November 2025, in homage to the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Palace Museum in Beijing, held a symposium on the publication of the "Research on Examples of Qing Dynasty Imperial Craftsmanship Inheritance" series of achievements at the National Foreign Cultural Trade Base (Beijing);

In December 2025, received the completion certificate for the Palace Museum's open research project "Research on Examples of Qing Dynasty Imperial Craftsmanship Inheritance."

One hundred years of Qing dynasty charm, dyed with the new year; poetic warmth continues, elegant melodies resonate; on January 31, 2026, Professor Du Hao, Chief Expert of the Hebei Cultural Industry Development Research Center and Dean of the Hebei University Cultural Industry Research Institute, led the Palace Museum's open research project "Research on Examples of Qing Dynasty Imperial Craftsmanship Inheritance" to host the "Romantic Geography" Season 8: "Celebrating the New Year with Imperial Creations: A New Chapter in the Forbidden City – Special Exhibition of Qing Dynasty Imperial Artifacts" at the Haibitai Art Center. The academic foundation of this exhibition stems from the deep cooperation between Hebei University and the Palace Museum, relying on the core academic concept of the "Forbidden City Cultural Circle" to systematically present the historical trajectory and contemporary vitality of Qing Dynasty imperial craftsmanship.

Beijing-Style Furniture - Three-Dimensional Dragon Screen Throne

Imperial Carpet - Dragon Protecting China

The allure of imperial artifacts lies not in "luxury," but in "precision." It disciplines experience into methods through processes, solidifying aesthetic preferences into standards and paradigms. The Imperial Workshop of the Qing Palace's Ministry of Internal Affairs was the creator of this order, with carving, enameling, inlaying, filigree, and lettering each forming their own "departments," yet interconnected. Different materials and different types of objects had to be perfected within the same system. The so-called craftsmanship is merely the slow compression of time into an object: the firing temperature must wait, the lacquer layers must dry, the glazes must be nurtured, and the patterns must fall within precise measurements. The birth of an object carries a rhythm akin to tides; it is not an isolated work, but a traceable technical chain, from material selection and production to presentation, each step leaving identifiable fingerprints of the craft.

Gilt Bronze Cloisonné Enamel - Ruyi-eared Censer

Filigree and Inlay - Gold-chased Cloud Dragon Pattern Gourd-shaped Ewer

Ding Porcelain - White Glaze with Carved Lotus Celestial Sphere Vase

If the Forbidden City is seen as the cultural tide, then the "Forbidden City Cultural Circle" is the spreading tide line. The comings and goings of artisans, the allocation of materials, and the circulation of objects allow craftsmanship to leap beyond the palace walls, continuing, varying, and being reborn in a broader field. Along this tide line, Qing Dynasty imperial artifacts are transformed from "displayed objects" back into "disciplined techniques." This process arises from the highly organized accumulation of experience within the imperial court, and is also continuously completed and reinterpreted in local workshops and contemporary practices.

Copy of "Lady Guoguo's Spring Outing" Handscroll

Dyeing and Weaving Technique - Emperor Kangxi's Inscription

Beijing Embroidery - Good Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity

"Simple, elegant, delicate, serene, graceful, all in the imperial court style; no hint of external influence."

Emperor Yongzheng established aesthetic standards for the imperial workshop's creations with the "imperial court style," using it to reject "external influences." His intention can be understood as: correcting excessive craftsmanship with imperial standards, preventing objects from becoming superficial due to excessive ingenuity, or vulgar due to ornamentation. The phrase "no external influences" does not mean rejecting beauty, but rather restraining beauty to proper measure and order—that is, delicate without being flashy, serene without being bland. The character of Haibitai coincidentally aligns with this, presenting a clear and refined "nobility." It does not allow artificiality to overwhelm nature, but rather returns the final design of the architecture to the sea breeze, tides, and light and shadow, engaging in a calm and lasting dialogue within the order of nature.

Yishui Inkstone - Peace Throughout the Four Seas

The "Celebrating the New Year with Imperial Creations: A New Chapter in the Forbidden City – Special Exhibition of Qing Dynasty Imperial Artifacts" juxtaposes various crafts, not for the sake of typological completeness, but to point to a deeper common mechanism—how materials acquire stable forms within a systematic process. Rather than inquiring into the symbolic meaning of objects, it is better to first trace their conditions of formation: where a turn stops, where a line ends, how luster is defined. The key to determining texture often lies not in the most conspicuous surface, but in the details where the craft's logic is most easily exposed—at edges, joints, corners, and critical points where thickness and texture change. The stability of these details corroborates the effectiveness of the standards. This exhibition emphasizes not the proclamation of a single artistic style, but the manifestation of the cultural generative mechanisms of imperial artifacts: materials are understood, processes are organized, time is quantified, and standards are implemented. The distant sea creates endless changes, while nearby objects confirm repeated settling. These two threads converge at the same point, forming a clear entry into the exhibition.