Mid-Autumn Festival inspires cultural product design in China
Liu He
Beijing: “Though miles apart, we’ll share the beauty the moon displays,” Chinese calligraphy tutor Jin Jin taught her students to write this ancient poetic line on an ornament as the Mid-autumn Festival approaches.
The charm of ancient Chinese festivals has inspired cultural product design and drawn more people to appreciate the essence of traditional culture through these products.
“On traditional festivals like the Mid-Autumn Festival, I often guide my students in creating cultural products and learning the relevant stories behind them,” said Jin, who organized several Mid-Autumn Festival-themed activities and redecorated her class to suit the theme recently.
The Mid-Autumn Festival in China is a festival in honor of the moon and harvest, as well as an occasion for family and friend reunions to eat mooncakes and appreciate the moon.
As the festival draws near, major museums have launched promotion schemes for moon cake-themed products and achieved impressive sales figures.
The cultural and creative product studio of the Palace Museum, for instance, has sold more than 10,000 copies of the moon cake-shaped ornaments so far in its Taobao flagship store.
The design of these ornaments combines innovation and cultural meaning. As the cover of one “moon cake” is lifted, there lies a cute rabbit inside, representing the jade rabbit, the pet of the Moon Goddess in ancient Chinese myths.
Cultural elements related to autumn have also inspired product design and boosted sales.
With the summer heat cooling down, osmanthus is about to blossom. As one of the most beloved autumn flowers in China, it has become a common decorative element in cultural products.
A clothing and craft production company in east China’s Suzhou integrates the knot button technique, an intangible cultural heritage of China, with osmanthus, to create unique handicrafts.
“Market response to this product is quite good, and many people showed their affection on social media. Cultural meaning surely adds up its value when it’s given as a gift,” said Zhu Dongyua, a promotion specialist of the company.
The increasing sales highlight the lasting appeal of traditional Chinese festivals, providing culture enthusiasts with fresh opportunities to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival traditions and seek their cultural roots.
After finishing the cultural products with calligraphy, Jin would tell her students the meaning of the ancient poems and the best wishes for reunion behind them.
Traditional culture resonates across time and space, Jin said.
