Beijing cultural products attractive to Taipei citizens

Edited and translated by People's Daily Online

On April 19, the fourth Cross-Strait Cultural and Creative Industries Fair kicked off in Taipei. More than 50 Beijing-based companies in the culture and creative industries including Lao She Teahouse joined the event.

The fair was divided into four exhibition sections – "Arts and Crafts," "Animation and Games," "Travel Souvenirs," and "Quality Cultural Products", where various techniques were used in courtly art and traditional crafts such as filigree inlaying, carved lacquerware, cloisonné, and paper cutting.

The most eye-catching exhibit at the fair was a replica of a silk dragon robe of Emperor Qianlong, valuing at 3 million New Taiwan dollars. In addition, Lao She Teahouse also displayed its creative tea cultural products as well as the "Beijing-style peddlers' cries".

The teahouse's Deputy General Manager Yang Qiwei introduced the five Olympic rings-themed teacakes. Colored in blue, yellow, black, green, and red, each teacake was printed with the name of one of the five traditional Beijing folk art forms. The combination of traditional art and modern techniques has brought both commercial and critical success, making the teahouse's exhibits very popular among Taipei citizens, as Yang explained.

"Shaped Tea" was also very special. Long tea leaves were tied up and centered on a small chrysanthemum. Put in hot water, the leaves spread out, leaving the chrysanthemum floating in the tea. "We sold dozens of the "Shaped Tea" right after the exhibition started and sales volume is particularly well these days", Yang said.

Delicate cloisonné handicraft products were also adored very much by many. On the first day of the exhibition, the nine cloisonné handicraft products made by the Chinese handicraft master Zhang Tonglu were all booked, and a big order of 1.5 million yuan was signed. The vice chairman of the Beijing Arts and Crafts Association Zhu Hong told People's Daily that the Taiwan Peter Pan Arts Company is the buyer of these handicraft products, and it has reached a purchase agreement worth 5 million yuan with arts and crafts enterprises of Beijing and will fly to Beijing to further negotiate.