This year marks the 10th anniversary of China’s successful bid to inscribe the Grand Canal as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as the 10th anniversary of Suzhou’s joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) as a City of Crafts and Folk Arts. On the afternoon of Dec. 21, the opening ceremony of the “Suzhou Craftsmanship: A Global Legacy” Suzhou Craftsmanship Exhibition was held at the China National Arts and Crafts Museum (also known as the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum) in Beijing.
The exhibition highlights nearly 500 exquisite crafts including jade, peach-stone, bamboo carving works as well as Su embroidery works, lacquer wares, birdcages, Suzhou-style fans, imperial kiln gold bricks, and gold and silver crafts.
As a “City of Crafts and Folk Arts”, Suzhou has been striving to promote the creative transformation and innovative development of local crafts and fine arts so they will shine with greater charm in the new era. In May 2021, the flagship store of Suzhou fine crafts opened at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). And a total of 7 stores of Suzhou fine crafts have been opened this year, displaying and selling more than 1,000 exquisite crafts in 20 categories, along with over 4,000 derivative products.
The Suzhou Craftsmanship Exhibition will last until Dec. 26. And the exhibits will be put up for bid during the 2024 Suzhou Guwuxuan Intangible Cultural Heritage Artworks Auction to be held at the V-Continent Beijing Parkview Wuzhou Hotel on Dec. 25.
