The 2025 London Craft Week China Pavilion Tiankong Kaiwu was unveiled at the Royal Mint Court on May 12th
At the entrance of the exhibition, a demonstration of Dulong weaving shows the beautiful work of Dulong people, China’s least populous ethnic minority, who primarily reside in Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture of southwest China’s Yunnan Province.
Walking through the exhibition, you are met with approximately 120 Chinese handcrafted works.
At the opening ceremony, guests were welcomed with a traditional Chinese dance, before several speeches and a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Minister Zhao Fei from the Chinese Embassy in the UK, speaking at the opening ceremony, said: “Craftsmanship is an important medium for cultural inheritance, development, and exchanges. Both China and the United Kingdom are home to rich and proud craft traditions.” He expressed hope that this year’s London Craft Week would deepen mutual understanding and friendship between the two nations.
Guy Salter, Founder and Chairman of London Craft Week, said Chinese craft has always played a role since London Craft Week was instigated 11 years ago, “because of the importance of Chinese culture and Chinese craftsmanship to the world of craft in general”.
Qian Zhu, President and Editor-in-Chief of Art and Design Press, explained the name of the exhibition is drawn from 17th century Chinese influential compendium call Tiangong Kaiwu, translated as The Exploitation of the Works of Nature. It is widely recognized as the world’s first comprehensive treatise documenting the wisdom of agriculture and artisanal techniques. The meaning of ‘Tiangong’ is the power of nature, while the meaning of ‘Kaiwu’ is the ingenuity of human wisdom. Together, ‘Tiangong’ and ‘Kaiwu’ represent the combination of nature and human ingenuity to achieve beautiful craftsmanship.
The exhibition runs until 18th May and includes themed events such as “Mothers’ Needlework” and “A Magical Leaf from the East.” Notably, 80 percent of the showcased works are created by emerging artisans.
Since its inception in 2015, London Craft Week has become one of the world’s most important arts and crafts events, supported by the King Charles Foundation and initiated by founder Guy Salter. Held in London every early summer, Craft Week brings together designers, brands, galleries and artisans from around the world to create a platform for international and local, historical and contemporary exchange through exhibitions, lectures and workshops. China has participated in the exhibition since it began, representing the beauty of traditional Chinese craftsmanship on the global stage.
Guest Dr David Francis, lecturer in Asian art at SOAS, whose research project Craft China from 2018 to 2020 looking at ethnic minority communities’ crafts in China’s Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, said he was excited to see this kind of here in London. Adding: “I think one of the really exciting things is how China really puts craft as part of identity and civilization and gives it that kind of importance.”
