Shenzhen exhibition pairs intangible heritage with AI and cultural exchange

Wing Chun performance opens the exhibition

The exhibition, titled Contour of the Time: Classics, Heritage and Convergence, is being held under the theme “Enduring Heritage, Harmonious Asia-Pacific”. Its opening ceremony began with a human-robot Wing Chun performance by Dong Chonghua, an intangible cultural heritage inheritor from the Ip Man lineage, and AGIBOT humanoid robots.

The performance combined traditional martial arts with artificial intelligence, illustrating the event's central idea that technology can help bring intangible cultural heritage into contemporary life. The exhibition was co-hosted by Yu Wen, Vice President of CICG Asia-Pacific, and Chen Mu, General Manager of Rongbaozhai Greater Bay Area.

Technology and international dialogue take center stage

Speakers at the opening discussed preserving traditional skills, finding modern ways to present them and passing them to future generations. Yu Yingfu, Vice President of China International Communications Group, said the exhibition could promote intangible cultural heritage across the Asia-Pacific and support exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

Jin Xiu of the Shenzhen Federation of Literary and Art Circles highlighted the exhibition's digital, intelligent and multilingual approach. She said it was being held alongside three other Shenzhen exhibitions, including The Blooming Splendor: Exhibition of Works by Winners of the Shanhua Award for Chinese Folk Crafts, the 16th Guangdong Folk Craft Masterpieces Exhibition and the Shenzhen Fine Folk Arts and Crafts Exhibition.

Rongbaozhai General Manager Zhao Dong said the company was using the exhibition to bring its more than 350 years of cultural heritage into contemporary dialogue. He also described Rongbaozhai's dual-headquarters strategy, with one headquarters in Beijing and the other in the Greater Bay Area. The company identifies Hong Kong as its gateway, Shenzhen as its hub and Guangzhou as its base for cultural exchange and art trading.

Woodblock printing and youth dialogue extend the programme

The event also marked the release of the APEC special issue of China Report ASEAN, themed “Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together.” A special report, Bringing Ancient Paintings Back to Life, focuses on Rongbaozhai and documents the exhibition.

A micro-documentary, Revival of an Ancient Art: Woodblock Watermark Printing, premiered during the programme. It follows the tracing, block carving and printing processes behind Rongbaozhai's woodblock watermark printing technique, showing how the craft is being brought into modern life.

Two roundtables examined technological support for heritage and cross-cultural youth dialogue. Speakers discussed topics including AI music, stage technology, digital assessment, vocational education, multilingual storytelling and reading Chinese classics. Afterward, visitors toured Rongbaozhai's art spaces, viewed paintings, calligraphy, woodblock watermark prints and modern craft designs, and tried woodblock printing, tea and floral art activities.

For visitors, the exhibition presents intangible heritage through performances, film, discussion and hands-on activities rather than static displays alone. According to the organisers' programme, its wider purpose is to use technology and cultural exchange to connect traditional Chinese crafts with contemporary audiences in the Asia-Pacific.