Turning Heritage into Modern Living

Documenting, preserving and creating, we aim to turn heritage into modern living

Featured Heritage Stories

Anyang Woodblock New Year Prints

Originating from Hua County in Anyang, Henan Province, Anyang woodblock New Year prints are among the most iconic forms of traditional Chinese folk art. Dating back to the Ming dynasty, these prints are created from intricately carved wooden blocks and finished with hand-applied colour. Depicting door gods, wealth deities, opera scenes, folk legends, and auspicious motifs, they are displayed on doors, windows, and walls during the Lunar New Year as symbols of hope for peace, prosperity, and a bountiful harvest. In 2008, Hua County woodblock New Year prints were inscribed on the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Today, local artisans continue to practise and innovate this centuries-old craft, sharing the charm of Anyang's folk art with audiences around the world.

Craftsmanship

Hongbao Ru Ware

Artist profile — Zhenfang Wang, born 1969, is a National Arts and Crafts Master, a provincial-level representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage of Ru ware firing techniques, a Senior Engineer, Senior Arts and Crafts Specialist, and Senior Appraiser of Ancient Ceramics.

Folk Art

Luoshan Shadow Puppetry

Chinese shadow puppetry originated during the Western Han dynasty and flourished under the Sui and Tang. The Luoshan tradition can be traced back to the Jingyou reign of the Northern Song dynasty and reached its peak during the Jiajing period of the Ming dynasty.

Craftsmanship

Pucheng Ancient Pottery

Pucheng ancient pottery is a distinctive ceramic tradition originating from Puchengdian in the Weidong District of Pingdingshan, Henan Province. Archaeological finds at the site confirm a pottery-making culture stretching back more than five thousand years. Characterised by robust, understated forms and a weathered, earthy elegance, Pucheng ware embodies the philosophy of "refinement hidden in simplicity" — a quiet beauty that echoes the dawn of Central Plains civilisation. In recent years, local artisans have revived traditional clay recipes and firing methods, blending carving, painting, and calligraphy with the ware's rustic character to produce tea caddies, incense burners, vases, and scholar's desk accessories, establishing Pucheng ancient pottery as an important cultural emblem of modern Henan.

Craftsmanship

Ren's Porcelain (Jun Ware)

Jiwei Ren, born in 1957 into a distinguished Jun ware family, is a Henan Provincial Arts and Crafts Master and Chairman of Ren's Porcelain Tiantai Studio. A seventh-generation Jun ware inheritor from Yuzhou, he was appointed to the expert committee for the joint exhibition of authentic and reproduced works of the Five Great Song-Dynasty Kilns, organised by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and the Palace Museum.

Craftsmanship

Yaoshen Culture (Hua Porcelain)

Quncheng Wang, from Lushan County, Henan Province, is a National Senior Arts and Crafts (Ceramics) Master, Level-1 Senior Technician, Senior Engineer, founder of the Lushan Hua Porcelain Heritage Base, and a leading figure in both the Lushan Hua porcelain and Central Plains ceramics industries. An inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of Lushan Hua porcelain making, he devoted himself to ceramics from a young age and began working to revive the nearly lost Tang-dynasty Hua porcelain tradition after leaving the military in 1982. After 30 years of relentless effort he overcame a series of technical challenges and in 2012 established the Henan Yaoshen Cultural Communications Lushan Hua Porcelain Heritage Base. The studio has since reproduced over 300 traditional forms, created more than 200 original designs, and developed over 100 types of everyday porcelain — tea sets, tableware, wine vessels, and stationery.

Craftsmanship

Zhilantang Ru Ware

Zhilantang Ru Ware is dedicated to preserving and reinterpreting the aesthetic essence of Northern Song-dynasty Ru porcelain. Using precious shards from Song-dynasty imperial kilns as references and drawing on extensive research into museum collections, the brand faithfully recreates classic Ru ware masterpieces while incorporating protective techniques such as lacquer finishing and metal mounting, giving each piece a refined contemporary sensibility rooted in timeless elegance.

Upcoming Events

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February 17, 2026

"The Splendours of Henan" — Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition for the Year of the Horse

Join us on 21 February 2026 at 2 pm to celebrate the artistry and traditions of China's Henan province.

Firepit Art Gallery, Greenwich, London

New Sera, Redefining Heritage with Style

Beyond documenting and preserving China's intangible cultural heritage, we reimagine traditional techniques for modern living and contemporary trends.

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