Who said tradition can’t get a modern twist? 🔥 This year, artist Shi Yanqing and his team have sparked a creative revolution by blending China’s iconic Nianhua art with Western bookplate culture – and it’s exactly the cross-cultural collab we needed in 2025!
From New Year to Every Day
The classic woodcut print Gaining Wealth on Horseback, once reserved for Lunar New Year celebrations, now adorns bookplates worldwide. These intricate designs preserve Western elegance while bursting with symbolic Chinese motifs – think galloping horses 🐎 (prosperity!) and blooming peonies 🌸 (good fortune!).
Bridging Cultures, One Bookplate at a Time
Shi’s studio tells NewspaperAmigo: "We’re not just making art – we’re building dialogue." Their viral TikTok tutorial (📱 2M+ views!) shows how centuries-old Uygur carving techniques meet digital design tools. The result? A UNESCO-noted cultural exchange phenomenon connecting Gen Z collectors from Shanghai to San Francisco.
🎥 Hot tip: Scroll up for our exclusive video deep-dive into Shi’s workshop!
