The century-old lacquer house Zhengdaming attended as a project participant, bringing lacquerware vessels, flower vessels, display pieces, lacquer jewelry and collection-grade Master's Handmade works to Hong Kong, China, taking part in business matching and presenting the contemporary value of Chinese lacquer craftsmanship to buyers from around the world.
The 11th Belt and Road Summit, co-organized by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on September 9-10. Under the theme 'Advancing High-Quality Development, Embarking on a New Journey Together', the summit brought together nearly a hundred policymakers and business leaders, focusing on key markets including ASEAN, Central Asia and the Middle East, exchanging views on new cooperation patterns in trade, investment and development, and arranging more than 800 one-to-one project matching meetings.
A century-old lacquer house brings the beauty of Chinese lacquer to Hong Kong, China
As a century-old lacquer house founded in 1925, Zhengdaming brought three object series — lacquerware vessels, flower vessels and display pieces — as well as lacquer jewelry and collection-grade Master's Handmade works. The making of a piece of lacquerware requires dozens of steps, including body making, cloth backing, putty application, lacquering, sanding and burnishing, taking months or even a year or more. At the summit venue, the warm, restrained lacquer colors and the refined lacquering techniques drew many participating buyers to stop and talk.
Yuan Duanjiao, head of Zhengdaming, Arts and Crafts Master of Shaanxi Province and intangible cultural heritage inheritor of lacquering techniques, said that Chinese lacquer is a material language unique to the East: it is both a traditional craft and fully capable of being integrated into contemporary life and international consumption contexts. The aim of this trip is to let more international buyers experience up close the distinctive appeal of Chinese lacquerware — 'firm in substance, radiant in pattern'.
From the Qinba lacquer groves to the international stage
Good lacquer makes good ware. Zhengdaming belongs to Zhengdaming Cultural Industry Group, and has established more than 5,000 mu of lacquer tree bases in Ankang, Shaanxi, as well as in Chengkou, Shangluo, Zhuxi and Enshi, building a full industry chain system that runs from lacquer tree planting, raw lacquer harvesting and refining to lacquerware creation and intangible cultural heritage study tours, providing solid support for the stable quality and large-scale delivery of lacquerware products.
Drawing on the advantages of a full industry chain and the accumulated expertise of intangible cultural heritage techniques, Zhengdaming's product range covers both high-end collection-grade Master's Handmade works and categories closer to contemporary life, such as everyday vessels, flower vessels and lacquer jewelry, meeting the needs of diverse scenarios including gifting, display, collection and daily use.
Using Hong Kong, China as a window to show the world Chinese lacquer
During the summit, the Zhengdaming team took part in project matchmaking and business matching activities, and exchanged views with buyers from a number of countries and regions on overseas market promotion of lacquerware, cultural and creative gifting and cross-sector collaboration, exploring possible cooperation.
Hong Kong, China is an important platform for mainland enterprises going global and a window through which international buyers come to know Chinese craftsmanship. Zhengdaming will take this participation as an opportunity, drawing on the economic and trade networks of Belt and Road partner countries to steadily advance the international dissemination of Chinese lacquer products and lacquer art culture, bringing Chinese lacquer, passed down for a century, into the daily lives of more countries and regions.
About Zhengdaming
Founded in 1925, Zhengdaming is the flagship brand of Shaanxi Longtou Guoqi Cultural Industry Co., Ltd. Established in 2016 and headquartered in Longtou Village, Pingli County, Ankang, Shaanxi, the company is a cultural-industry enterprise centred on natural raw lacquer, animated by intangible-cultural-heritage craftsmanship and oriented toward Eastern living aesthetics. Guided by the principle "Integrity in the heart, clarity in the vessel," the brand draws on more than 5,000 mu of lacquer groves in the Qinling Mountains and operates a full industrial chain running from lacquer-tree planting, raw-lacquer harvesting and refining to lacquerware design, sales and cultural-tourism experiences, with four brands under its umbrella: Zhengdaming, Longtou Guoqi, Niuwang Guoqi and Suishiji.