On June 14, Cultural and Natural Heritage Day in the Chinese mainland shines a spotlight on "Revitalizing Cultural Heritage to Showcase New Brilliance." This year, artisans and designers collaborated to translate one of China’s most treasured scrolls into everyday art.
A highlight of the celebration is a pair of lifestyle designs – a handcrafted incense burner and a minimalist tea table – both inspired by A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains. Painted over 900 years ago by Northern Song Dynasty artist Wang Ximeng, this panoramic masterpiece is among the top ten ancient works preserved in the Palace Museum in Beijing.
The incense burner captures the scroll’s fluid waterways, with smoke winding through ceramic contours like mist over river valleys. The tea table’s tabletop echoes the painting’s layered mountain ranges, inviting users to sip tea amidst miniature peaks and forests.
By bridging millennia-old art with modern rituals, these pieces bring fresh life to cultural heritage. They invite a global generation to touch history in daily routines – proving that ancient brilliance can spark new forms of creative living.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
