Photo: Zhang Yiyi/GT

Kicking off on Sunday,MKsport the 5th China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) is being held until Friday in South China's Hainan Province. More than 30 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions across the country are showcasing a range of domestic products, highlighting the integration of intangible cultural heritage craftsmanship with smart manufacturing.

The exhibition is being held across eight main pavilions, with blue, gold, and green as the primary color scheme. The displays focus on consumer technology, high-end food and health products, global specialty consumption, and trendy products.

The Hainan Pavilion occupies a total exhibition area of 900 square meters that has been divided into three major sections: Health Island, International Island, and Tourism Island. This exhibition follows a green exhibition approach, with all materials used needing to pass environmental inspections to ensure sustainability.

"The Hainan Pavilion's Treasure Island products have been selected for their high economic value, rarity, and rich historical and cultural significance," Wang Chaozheng a staff member of the Department of Commerce of Hainan Province, told the Global Times on Sunday. 

"These include 41 precious items such as agarwood, rosewood, pearls, crystals, ceramics, yellow wax stone, and purple gold sand," Wang said.

Among the exhibited treasures, Hainan's traditional ethnic Li textile craft boasts a history of over 3,000 years, for which it has earned a reputation as a "living fossil" of Chinese textile history. Its ancient and exquisite designs, along with its unique and intricate weaving techniques, have garnered much admiration from visitors at the exhibition.

A particularly eye-catching piece at the Expo is the iconic ethnic Li textile treasure known as the "Five-Section Colored Dragon-patterned Silk Quilt."

According to Wang, this piece stands 4.5 meters tall and 3 meters wide. It was meticulously crafted from three materials - cotton (wild cotton), silk, and silk floss - and integrates the four techniques of spinning, dyeing, weaving, and embroidery.

"As a masterpiece of embroidery craftsmanship, this artwork not only has immense cultural value and technical complexity, but also represents the pinnacle of Hainan's traditional ethnic Li textile technique," he noted. 

"With a market value of 1 million yuan ($136,700), it is truly a gem of art and handicrafts."

Ethnic Li textiles made two stunning appearances at Paris Fashion Week in 2023 and 2024, captivating the global fashion stage. The integration of ancient, mysterious Li ethnic cultural totems with cutting-edge Western fashion elements demonstrated the perfect fusion of traditional craftsmanship and modern design.

In addition to ethnic Li textiles, another major highlight of the exhibition is Hainan coconut carving, particularly a carved coconut silver-ladle wine warming pot and a carved coconut silver-ladle bowl, both of which have caused numerous visitors to pause and admire their exquisite designs.

"Hainan coconut carving is a national intangible cultural heritage with a history of over 3,000 years," Zhang Yue, an on-site staff member, told the Global Times on Friday.

"These two coconut carvings perfectly integrate traditional coconut carving techniques with exquisite silver inlay craftsmanship, showcasing unique artistic charm," he noted.

With the progress of the times, Hainan coconut carving has not only preserved the essence of traditional carving techniques, but has also been continuously innovated, which blends this craft with modern design and technology, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 

Today, coconut carving products are widely used in cultural and creative products, electronic accessories, and as distinctive city gifts, becoming an important symbol of Hainan's culture.

In addition to local cultural symbols from Hainan, Jingdezhen porcelains from East China's Jiangxi Province, one of the representatives of traditional Chinese porcelain craftsmanship, also made their debut at the exhibition.

"Our porcelains, particularly in the design of classical garden styles, incorporate traditional glaze painting techniques with modern intelligent innovation," Zhan Xiaoming, marketing director of Jingdezhen Ceramics Co Ltd, told the Global Times on Sunday.

"The use of exquisite stones in porcelains makes these works more translucent and luminous. We have also integrated elements of traditional landscape painting, infusing the porcelain with a stronger cultural atmosphere," he noted.

According to Zhan, creating these porcelain requires 72 intricate processes, with each piece embodying the dedication and wisdom of countless artisans, ensuring that every piece of porcelain is exquisite and unique.

"In the porcelain field, the inheritance of intangible cultural heritage is continuously innovating," Zhan added. 

"We are combining traditional handmade blue-and-white porcelain with modern technology to promote these artworks to the international market."