On August 18, 2026, the 4th Zhengzhou Huaxia Handicraft Intangible Cultural Heritage and Cultural Creative Products Exhibition officially opened at the Zhengzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center. Running for three days until August 20, this major event in the ICH sector of the Central Plains region is themed "Handcrafted by Huaxia, Vibrant Heritage." Covering a total exhibition area of 6,000 square meters, it brings together over 100 ICH handicraft projects and cultural creative products from both inside and outside the province. The exhibition aims to create a comprehensive ICH cultural platform integrating viewing, experiencing, exchanging, and trading, further promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture.
A major highlight of this year's exhibition lies in its powerful resource synergy. Co-located and held concurrently with the 2026 Zhengzhou Design Week, the two events have achieved deep resource sharing. Through this cross-sector collaboration model, the exhibition has not only gathered over 1,000 renowned home furnishing brands but also attracted more than 60,000 trade visitors for tours and networking. This "ICH + Design" integration model provides a broad stage for the connection between traditional handicrafts and modern home design, effectively broadening the commercialization pathways for ICH products.
Stepping into the 6,000-square-meter exhibition hall, visitors are greeted by a dazzling array of ICH projects. Over 100 traditional crafts are on display, including Jun and Ru porcelain, Song brocade, velvet flowers, shadow puppetry, pyrography, leaf carving, gourd pyrography, root carving, silk reeling, and traditional incense making. Numerous representative ICH inheritors and masters have brought their masterpieces to the show. For instance, Li Weidong, a representative inheritor of cloisonné enamel craft paintings, showcased exquisite works such as "Hundred Blessings," "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion," and "Five Oxen." Pyrography masters Dan Xinbo and Ren Gengshun exhibited original creations like "Great Auspiciousness" and "Yellow River Homestead." Other renowned artisans, including wheat straw painting inheritor Chen Zhenqiang, Bian embroidery inheritor Wei Dongmei, and linen painting inheritor Cui Lingxia, also presented their outstanding works, offering the audience a dual feast for the eyes and the mind.
Notably, a distinct focus of this exhibition is bringing ICH back to daily life and serving the public, with the innovative efforts of the younger generation of inheritors being particularly striking. Taking Bian embroidery as an example, inheritors have displayed not only traditional large-scale embroidered pieces but also practical Chinese-style items such as small bookmarks, hair clips, brooches, and phone chains. These cultural creative products feature fine craftsmanship and elegant color palettes, perfectly blending traditional embroidery techniques with modern everyday aesthetics, and are highly popular among young visitors. Additionally, the event has specially launched an interactive "Lucky Blind Box, 100% Rewards" activity and set up multiple hands-on experience stations for beadwork, cloth tigers, fabric brooches, cloisonné enamel photo frame paintings, and pressed flower table lamps. Through hands-on participation, visitors deeply experience the warmth and charm of traditional crafts.
In terms of operations and platform development, the exhibition is managed by Zhengzhou Ruyi Culture Development Co., Ltd. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of Henan Science and Technology Press under the Central Plains Publishing and Media Group, the company has been deeply engaged in the ICH handicraft sector for over a decade, successfully cultivating the renowned cultural brand "Handcrafted by Huaxia." Since the inaugural event in 2024, the exhibition series has been successfully held for four consecutive editions, gradually building a diversified exhibition matrix of "comprehensive mega-exhibitions + thematic special exhibitions + cross-sector collaborative exhibitions," and establishing its benchmark status in the ICH industry in the Central Plains region.
Furthermore, the Huaxia Handicraft ICH and Cultural Creative Exhibition operates on a regular basis, anchored by the physical platform of the Zhengzhou Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Hall (Handcrafted by Huaxia ICH Exhibition Hall). Covering a total area of approximately 3,000 square meters, the hall permanently features over 40 ICH handicraft projects. Thanks to its outstanding operational capabilities, the hall was officially designated as a Provincial-level Demonstration Exhibition Hall in 2024. It has also won the Excellent Operation Award in the National Most Beautiful Public Cultural Space Competition and been selected as a social resource unit for the Zhengdong New District Home-School-Community Collaborative Education Consortium, becoming a vital hub for public cultural services.
To enrich the exhibition's content, a series of fringe events will be held during the fair, including the "Symbiosis of Craftsmanship, Creating and Sharing the Future" ICH and Cultural Creative Practice Exchange Forum, a public art showcase, and a silk reeling technique demonstration. These events will further promote academic discussions and industry matchmaking in the ICH sector, providing a platform for industry practitioners to exchange ideas.
Cultural confidence is a more fundamental, extensive, and profound confidence. Guided by the principle of upholding tradition while embracing innovation, this exhibition adheres to the concept of "preserving heritage with integrity and revitalizing through innovation." It is committed to bringing traditional handicrafts out of obscurity, into the public eye, and onto the market, integrating millennia-old craftsmanship into contemporary life. This not only explores effective pathways for ICH protection and industrial development but also provides the public with an excellent opportunity to experience the charm of fine traditional Chinese culture up close. The exhibition is free and open to the public, running until August 20. ICH enthusiasts and citizens are warmly welcome to visit and experience the event.