Report
On 14 September 2026, Professor Chen Ping visited the Qingdeng International Art Community while attending the 50-Person Forum on Handicrafts of the China National Arts and Crafts Society in Wenzhou. Professor Chen is Chief Expert and Co-Chair of the UNESCO Chair on the Inheritance and Innovation of World Traditional Handicrafts, President of the International Organization of Folk Art (IOV), and Dean of the Institute of Cultural Heritage and Creative Industries at Jinan University.
During the visit, she toured the Qingdeng Stone Carving Art Museum and several cultural spaces in the community. She also met resident artists and craft practitioners and discussed possible areas of cooperation between Qingdeng and IOV.
Professor Chen first visited Qingdeng in November 2024, when she travelled to Wenzhou for the annual think tank meeting of the 50-Person Forum on Handicrafts. She returned this year to see the newly opened international art community and to learn more about its international programmes and year-round operation.
The Qingdeng International Art Community grew out of the Qingdeng Market, a well-known cultural event in Wenzhou. Founded in 2020, the market had held 11 editions by spring 2026. Total attendance exceeded five million, and sales exceeded RMB 400 million. The spring 2024 edition alone received 527,000 visits over six days. Zhejiang Province has recognised Qingdeng for its work linking culture and tourism and has supported it as a cultural industry project.
Qingdeng entered a new stage in 2026 with the opening of the international art community. The new project extends the seasonal market into a permanent setting for museums, traditional crafts, contemporary art, artist residencies and cultural exchange. Its first phase includes around 60 spaces for artists and cultural producers. Nearly 30 Chinese and international brands now have a permanent presence there.
Professor Chen met artists and makers working in qipao embroidery, guqin making, Ou kiln ceramics and contemporary crafts created by young people. She has followed the Qingdeng Market for several years and has taken particular interest in its theme, International Youth Fashion Handicrafts. The market gives young makers opportunities to work with traditional crafts and meet participants from different cultural backgrounds.
Professor Chen said Qingdeng is relevant to IOV because it brings traditional craft into present-day life. The museum, working studios, artist residencies and public activities give artisans places to present their work and meet others. They also give young people a chance to encounter a tradition, learn how it is practised and develop their own work.
The visit relates directly to IOV’s work on heritage, young people, communities and sustainable development. Festivals and traditional performance exchanges remain important to IOV. The organisation is also expanding its work on research and education, the transmission of intangible cultural heritage, youth training, traditional craft innovation, women artisans and exchange between cultures.
The future of a tradition depends on the people who practise it. Young people need opportunities to learn and take part. Artisans need practical ways to continue their work and reach new audiences. Communities need room to maintain their knowledge while responding to changes in everyday life. Without these conditions, heritage work cannot be sustained.
Qingdeng shows how this can work. It brings craft into education, design, cultural tourism and daily life. Artists, artisans, young makers and visitors meet in the same place. Knowledge can pass between generations, while craft practitioners have room to develop their work.
Further discussions between IOV and Qingdeng may cover artist and artisan residencies, youth training, support for women artisans, craft innovation, exhibitions and academic exchange. IOV’s international network may also bring folk artists, craft practitioners and young creators from other countries into future programmes.
The visit began a discussion about projects that could support artisans, involve young people and keep traditional skills in active use.