On September 24th, the Chow Tai Fook "Heaven is Round and Place" exquisite cultural exhibition elegantly opened at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Qianmen, Beijing. The exhibition is held in a quiet world where simplicity and light and shadow intertwine, presenting the essence of traditional Chinese cultural aesthetics, reflecting the unique artistic conception of the East, and continuing the poetry and beauty of Chinese civilization through jewelry art.
The exhibition follows three major exhibition areas: "Beautiful East", "Palace Museum Elegance", and "Classics and Inheritance". Many exquisite jewelry items are quietly displayed, reflecting Eastern aesthetics and romantic philosophy in the light and shadow, integrating Palace Museum culture with the colorful multi-ethnic civilization, and expressing the millennium elegance.
周大福“天圆地方”臻品文化展
Beautiful East, interpreting the splendid culture of the East
Deeply rooted in the thousand year fertile soil of Chinese art, Chow Tai Fook has always woven a dialogue between traditional and modern aesthetics - taking Chinese civilization as the pulse, extracting subtle and elegant Eastern charm, and allowing traditional Chinese culture and contemporary aesthetic interests to coexist and resonate with pearls and jade. The "Beautiful East" exhibition hall is a vivid carrier of this concept. The new high-end jewelry collection "Timeless Harmony" is inspired by the profound wisdom of Chinese philosophy and the magnificent imagery of Eastern architecture. It innovatively interprets the aesthetic essence of Chinese culture with contemporary techniques, playing a cultural movement spanning thousands of years and praising the eternal beauty of harmony in traditional Chinese culture.
周大福“天圆地方”臻品文化展和美东方展厅
Entering the exhibition hall, the first thing that catches the eye is' round sky and square earth '. As the theme of this exhibition, "Heaven is Round and Earth" represents the philosophical and cosmological views of ancient China's "Heaven is Round and Earth is Square". The works even deconstruct the Qiankun Avenue, condensing the vast world into wearable exquisite jewelry, showcasing the ancient people's romantic philosophical thoughts on the mysteries of time and space. The "round sky and square place" selects high-quality diamonds with excellent cutting and high-quality jadeite with ice and emerald green as the core materials. The encounter between diamonds and jadeite is like the whisper of yin and yang binary stars, where movement and stillness complement each other gently, just and softly blending in the square inch. Finally, using pearls and jade as paper, it engraves the harmonious and eternal balance of heaven and earth. Diamonds come in two shapes, square and round, echoing the saying 'heaven is round and earth is round': round diamonds flow like a galaxy, and are cut with high crowned roses, adding a rustic and elegant charm; The square diamond adopts a specially customized square staircase cutting, with a modern and contemporary atmosphere flowing between the edges, reflecting the eternal philosophy of the world.
周大福高级珠宝 “天圆地方”作品
As I turned around, the brilliant radiance of 'spreading joy' quietly spread out. The work uses geometric deconstruction to reshape the meaning of the word "xi", presenting happiness and joy concretely. Adhering to a modern minimalist style, "Chuanxi" selects and customizes rectangular cut diamonds with tough lines and soft luster, showcasing the solemnity and agility of "xi"; Enriched with materials such as diamonds, colored gemstones, jadeite, and pearls, it stands out with its colors and embodies roundness in the square, exuding a sense of joy and elegance. High quality jadeite adds a touch of traditional Chinese charm.
周大福高级珠宝“传喜”作品
As we move forward, 'Palace Yu Yu Yun' praises the timeless charm of the palace's divine craftsmanship. The work uses pearls and jade as a medium, interpreting the harmonious order of ancient architecture through contemporary design. Each piece is a microcosm of exquisite architecture, hiding the pattern of heaven and earth. The work is based on exquisite craftsmanship, outlining a symmetrical aesthetic with a square and strict axis, and maintaining the degree of center and uprightness in every inch. The main stone highlights the core architecture of the palace, while the square stone and black agate require further refinement over time. Craftsmen use delicate techniques to reproduce the normal state of the palace, showcasing the beauty of balanced symmetry and orderly atmosphere.
Amidst the anticipation, the serene beauty of lotus flowers stands before my eyes. The work cleverly captures the tranquil state of lotus leaves and petals before the morning dew sets, embodying the understated and subtle essence of Chinese culture in jewelry. In a corner of the exhibition hall, there is a hidden interactive and elegant jade craftsmanship, where you can explore the transformation of jade from raw stone to colorful. With your own touch, you can immerse yourself in the craftsmanship and inheritance of the artisans.
周大福高级珠宝“宫宇御韵”“莲华清韵”作品
On the other side of the quadrangle, in the exhibition hall, works such as "Jin Ou Fu Ding", "Wa Ying Hua Yun", and "Zhu Heng Tong Yun" all draw inspiration from the magnificent imagery of Eastern architecture: "Jin Ou Fu Ding" takes the opening and closing state of a red door as its form, and freezes the image of the door nail into eternity. The three-dimensional door stud decoration in the background echoes the inspiration elements of the work, quietly blending the beautiful meaning of peaceful reunion and prosperous population; The "Waying Painting Rhyme" uses semi-circular arcs to depict the shape of the tile, and between the straight curves, it replicates the dripping water on the tile eaves, fully reflecting the simple and elegant charm of ancient tiles; The concept of 'Building Harmony and Harmony' interprets the spirit of the Great Wall with cutting-edge ideas, transforming the most iconic and adjacent continuous patterns on the wall into an endless geometric array, hiding the Eastern prayer of 'boundless blessings'.
周大福高级珠宝和美东方系列“金沤浮钉”作品
The elegant charm of the Forbidden City showcases the grandeur of the ancient capital
Walking slowly down the stairs, the scene of overlapping eaves gradually unfolds. The space is infused with a rich historical heritage, with serene and elegant red walls, and light and shadow outlining the corners and contours of the Forbidden City. The interplay of reality and virtuality resembles the overlapping shadows of buildings. The golden door studs are embedded on the vermilion exhibition door, reproducing the grandeur and majesty of Eastern etiquette. The palace lanterns reflect softly from the wooden fence, as if guiding guests on a journey through time and space in the long corridor of the Forbidden City. Through changing scenery, guests can experience the deep integration of traditional architectural aesthetics and Chinese civilization.
Passing through the vermilion exhibition gate, the new works of Chow Tai Fook's Palace Museum series are presented safely in this exhibition hall. The inspiration for 'Wanhua Ruyi' comes from the cultural relics of the Palace Museum, such as the golden silk of Wanhua Ruyi, which represents the dignified, beautiful, and charming charm of Eastern classical artifacts. The work is ingeniously crafted, with the centennial cultural and creative logo of the Palace Museum as the core design element. The surrounding auspicious cloud patterns stretch and overlap to create a sense of rhythm. The work uses the ancient gold filigree technique to integrate the four in one auspicious pattern, with diamonds set on top of gold threads and enamel dyed with colors, presenting a sense of auspiciousness with abundant details and conveying the beautiful meaning of long-lasting happiness and smooth sailing.
周大福故宫系列“万华如意”作品
The Palace Museum series "Peace and Ruyi" draws inspiration from the Qing Dynasty Qianlong style rhinoceros cloud patterned square box collected by the Palace Museum, inheriting the ancient charm of the patterns and capturing the dignified and elegant state of Ruyi. The work is outlined with smooth golden lines, adorned with brilliant diamonds and a bright ruby in the center, adding elegance and radiance to the overall look. The entire piece is crafted with exquisite elegance, carrying the beautiful symbolism of auspiciousness, peace, and joy.
The Palace Museum series "Peace and Ruyi" draws inspiration from the Qing Dynasty Qianlong style rhinoceros cloud patterned square box collected by the Palace Museum, inheriting the ancient charm of the patterns and capturing the dignified and elegant state of Ruyi. The work is outlined with smooth golden lines, adorned with brilliant diamonds and a bright ruby in the center, adding elegance and radiance to the overall look. The entire piece is crafted with exquisite elegance, carrying the beautiful symbolism of auspiciousness, peace, and joy.
周大福故宫系列“平安如意”作品
The same series also extends the imagery of "Four Harmony and Ruyi", condensing multiple masterpieces on patterns and forms to create a cultural elegance.
周大福故宫系列更多如意作品
Another new work in the Palace Museum series, 'Blessing Butterfly Knows Spring', falls into sight with a lively and graceful state. The inspiration for 'Blessing Butterfly Knows Spring' comes from the representative work of Song Dynasty flower and bird paintings in the Palace Museum, 'Haitang Nymphalidae Butterfly Painting'. The work is carved with lustrous jade as butterfly wings, with distinct layers, like flapping wings in a spring breeze. The work uses ancient filigree craftsmanship to extend gold into slender strands, outlining the contours of butterfly wings; Pearls or diamonds quietly embellish the work, adding a touch of crystal clarity. In the Eastern artistic conception, "flowers and butterflies" are not only scenery that can be admired, but also the embodiment of poetry. "Blessing Butterfly Knows Spring" extracts it as "flower butterfly pattern", and uses "blessing" as a homophone to convey the beautiful wishes of good fortune accompanied by butterfly flapping its wings. The series of works "Linglong Flower Butterfly" also condenses this auspicious intention, sending sincere blessings of good fortune to all guests in the exhibition hall among the sparkling golden threads.
周大福故宫系列“福蝶知春”
Another jade piece in the Palace Museum series, "Fortune and Prosperity", draws inspiration from the Qing Dynasty ivory carving of a large gourd flower sac. The work is made of crystal clear jade with a flowing emerald color, carved into the full form of a gourd, surrounded by gold inlaid with diamonds, symbolizing wealth, prosperity, and auspiciousness. This work vividly interprets the unique connotations of traditional Chinese aesthetics and Forbidden City culture through the extraction and reshaping of gourd elements in cultural relics.
Classic and Inheritance, Condensed Pearl Treasure Charm
This cultural exhibition not only showcases the grandeur of the Forbidden City, but also continues the bloodline and philosophical thinking of Chinese civilization. In the "Classics and Inheritance" exhibition hall, embedded display cabinets and suspended exhibition booths are arranged in a staggered manner in front of the antique texture background - classic jewelry works from Chow Tai Fook are displayed here. In the flowing golden thread, there lies the warmth and auspicious blessings of nearly a hundred years of craftsmanship; The radiance of jade and the soft light of pearls are like the whispers of Eastern charm and modern craftsmanship; Diamonds and gems spin under the spotlight, telling timeless stories that transcend generations. These timeless works not only echo the cultural context of the Forbidden City, but also become warm imprints that accompany generation after generation by integrating into daily life.
周大福“天圆地方”臻品文化展经典与传承展厅作品
The "Heaven is Round and Earth" exquisite cultural exhibition at Chow Tai Fook showcases the profound cultural heritage of Chinese civilization and the splendor of the Forbidden City. Amidst the interplay of gold and jade, it reproduces the philosophical and cultural context of the East. Guests wander among them, embarking on an aesthetic tour that connects ancient and modern times.