On July 13, 2024, the high-profile "Clothes and Threads Connected to Cross-Strait Comrades" Cross-Strait Chinese Cheongsam Cultural Festival and Cheongsam Art Public Welfare Exhibition was grandly opened at the Cross-Strait Cheongsam Art Museum on the bank of the Tonghui River in Chaoyang District, Beijing.
The event was hosted by the Special Committee for the Protection and Utilization of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the China Association for the Promotion of Culture and Culture and the Beijing Association for the Promotion of Cross-Strait Non-governmental Exchanges, and jointly organized by Beijing Yu Shuangshuang Cheongsam Culture, the Organizing Committee of the Cross-Strait Chinese Cheongsam Cultural Festival, and the Organizing Committee of the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Spring Festival Gala, and was strongly co-organized by the Taiwan Cheongsam Association and related social groups. This grand event brought together nearly 100 well-known associations and outstanding artist representatives in the field of culture and art on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to celebrate online and offline and participate in the cultural event.
At the opening ceremony, the representative of the organizer delivered a solemn speech, pointing out that the cheongsam, as a bright pearl of Chinese culture, carries a unique artistic charm and profound historical heritage, and is a vivid embodiment of the long history of Chinese culture. The theme of "Connecting Clothes and Threads, Comrades on Both Sides of the Taiwan Strait" not only highlights the same roots and origins of cross-strait culture, but also expresses the common respect and deep feelings of compatriots on both sides of the strait for Chinese culture, which is of great significance for promoting cross-strait cultural exchanges and cooperation.
This exhibition is curated by cheongsam artist Ms. Yu Shuangshuang, who with her unique artistic perspective and superb planning ability, perfectly presents the essence of cheongsam art in a combination of movement and static, bringing a visual and cultural feast to the audience. She believes that the inheritance and innovation of cheongsam culture is very important, and it requires the persistence of the older generation of artists and the pioneering and innovative development of the new generation of artists, and she earnestly hopes that more artists and young designers will join the promotion and innovation of cheongsam culture to jointly promote the inheritance and development of cheongsam culture.
This public welfare exhibition displayed more than 70 cheongsam character story panels, including 15 excellent works from Taiwan, which deeply revealed the profound connotation of cheongsam culture. At the same time, 100 cheongsam artworks that integrate Danqing art and intangible cultural heritage skills, and 150 unique cheongsam cultural and creative masterpieces were also unveiled, such as the guqin 38 potential plate buckle works, the 12 flower god plate buckles, silk fans, etc., which are breathtaking. These artworks not only show the exquisite skills of cheongsam making, but also convey the profound traditional cultural heritage and new era value contained in the cheongsam culture, blooming with unique fashion charm.
Mr. Zhong Mantian, an expert in Chinese costume culture research, shared his feelings when he went to Taiwan to participate in the cross-strait cheongsam seminar in 2013, he fondly recalled the past with Taiwan cheongsam master Yang Chenggui and the exchange and inheritance of cheongsam culture between the two sides of the strait, and expressed surprise at the content of this exhibition, believing that the exhibition's understanding of the moral level of cheongsam is flawless, and calling on more people of insight to come to the exhibition, appreciate the beauty of classic cheongsam, feel the spiritual temperament transmitted by cheongsam culture, and further enhance the cultural confidence of the Chinese nation.
During his tenure at the China Agricultural Museum, Mr. Fang Peixian led the team to cooperate with Yu Shuangshuang cheongsam culture, and after a year and a half of hard work, he successfully created a series of works of "24 solar terms Danqing cheongsam and Panhua buckle fan", which was reported by CCTV and collected in the China Agricultural Museum. At the opening ceremony, he shared the story behind the creation, emphasizing the importance of the work in exploring and inheriting the profound heritage of Chinese culture, and believed that the work uses the cheongsam as a medium to show the cultural essence of the solar terms in the form of danqing, which is a double tribute to the two intangible cultural heritages of the 24 solar terms and the handicraft skills of the cheongsam. He also revealed that the 24 solar terms protection and inheritance alliance has set up a branch in Taiwan, and plans to go to Taiwan to hold cultural and art exhibitions and other activities, and has a common wish with this cultural festival and public welfare exhibition, wishing more cheongsam art works to become a precious witness of cross-strait cultural exchanges.
The president of the Taiwan Cheongsam Association and industry representatives extended warm congratulations to the event through video and wished the Chinese Cheongsam Cultural Festival a complete success. At the same time, Taiwan counterparts called for the cheongsam cultural festival to be presented in Taiwan in the second half of this year, so that Taiwan women can see the beautiful cheongsam products of the mainland with their own eyes, showing the eager expectations of the cheongsam people on the island for the resumption of exchanges.
At the event, the guests took a group photo in front of the background wall to share their joy. In the exhibition hall, exquisite cheongsams attracted the attention of the guests, and their exquisite cuts, unique buckles, exquisite embroidery and ingenious color matching all demonstrated the charm of traditional Chinese culture. The guests stopped to admire, grabbed their cameras and mobile phones to record this unforgettable moment, and shared what they saw and felt with their relatives and friends.
In order to allow the guests to experience the cheongsam culture more deeply, the public welfare exhibition also set up a try-on session, allowing the guests to try on and experience the elegance and comfort of the cheongsam. The guests dressed in cheongsams walked elegantly through the exhibition hall, revealing the unique charm of cheongsams and showing their charming temperament.
In addition, this public welfare exhibition also set up four immersive experience areas of cheongsam + "guqin, floral art, incense, and tea ceremony", so that guests can feel the charm of traditional culture while appreciating the cheongsam. The melodious melody of the guqin, the splendor of the floral arrangement, the tranquility of the incense ceremony, and the peace of the tea ceremony have jointly created a tranquil, harmonious and beautiful cultural atmosphere.
This interactive experience form that combines traditional costumes with culture and art not only allows the unique charm of cheongsam to be more vividly displayed, but also allows the audience to deeply feel the profoundness and unique charm of Chinese culture in the process of participation. The guests at the meeting said that this event not only deepened their knowledge and understanding of cheongsam culture, but also stimulated their enthusiasm and responsibility to inherit and promote Chinese culture. I believe that in the future, these beautiful experiences and insights will become eternal memories in their hearts, inspiring them to contribute more to the inheritance and development of Chinese culture.
In their speeches, representatives of the China Association for the Promotion of Cultural Affairs and the Beijing Association for the Promotion of Overseas Maritime Affairs highly praised the success of the event, and said that the Cross-Strait Chinese Cheongsam Cultural Festival and Cheongsam Art Public Welfare Exhibition brought a visual feast of traditional culture to the audience, which not only promoted the cheongsam culture, but also promoted the exchanges and cooperation between industry colleagues on both sides of the strait, and built a new bridge of friendship for cultural people on both sides of the strait and even ordinary consumers. (Hu Tiansheng)