The China National Pavilion at London Craft Week 2026 showcases wedding outfits and ethnic minority craft in a celebration of those who make China beautiful.
At a packed opening ceremony of the China National Pavilion at London Craft Week 2026 on May 12th, guests were given a showcase of wedding outfits, ethnic minority clothes and crafts. Together, they demonstrated the diversity and beauty of China.
The theme of the China National Pavilion at London Craft Week 2026 was โThose Who Make China Beautifulโ, along with the emotional core of โOne Family, One Lifetimeโ. Central to the exhibition is Chinese Wedding Attire: A Millennium of Ritual & Elegance, which showcases Chinese wedding outfits from various dynasties.
There is also a collection of outfits from ethnic minorities in Southwestern China, demonstrating the diversity and beauty present in this region. A special focus was a selection of crafts from Xishuangbanna in Yunnan province of Southwest China. As well as highlighting several beautiful craft works, it also showcased how craft is a way to revitalise and support rural economies.
Li Hongfei, Vice President and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Art and Design Magazine, said in her speech at the opening ceremony that she hoped the exhibition would tell the world about the deep and poetic emotional, aesthetic and cultural pursuits of Chinese people through the works of female craftsmen and designers.
She explained that from Chinese wedding dresses to southwestern ethnic outfits and from native craftsmanship in the rainforest to contemporary creations in the city, these crafts outline the aesthetic system of Chinese culture but also highlight the unique power of Chinese women as cultural guardians, inheritors and creators.
All of the crafts at the exhibition were created by female designers and craftspeople.
Also speaking at the opening ceremony was Guy Salter, founder and chairman of London Craft Week. In his speech, he shared how visiting the China Pavilion โis always a highlightโ of London Craft Week and that this year it is a โvery remarkable exhibitionโ.
He added, โI think there is a very simple reason why the China Pavilion is always one of the very best in London Craft Week. There are thousands of years of culture and expertise to draw on, and it is a very diverse country. There is always something new to focus on and bring to the British public.โ
Many visitors to the exhibition were impressed by what they saw. Roger Tredre, who is Course Leader for the MA in Fashion Communication at Central Saint Martins, said that the most attractive thing about Chinese craftsmanship is the “balance between the past and the present”, which not only preserves the roots of traditional culture but also gives it new life through contemporary design. He was impressed by many of the works in this exhibition at the China Pavilion, which showcased this balance between past and present.
Meanwhile, Zhang Huaicun, a life fellow of the Royal Society of British Artists, enjoyed the exhibition and emphasised the importance of craft. She said: “The reason why handicrafts are moving is because each work has a soul, which carries the creator’s emotions. In the era of AI and high-speed replication, real handicrafts cannot be replaced. Machines can replicate forms, but they cannot replicate the creator’s heartbeat.โ
In an interview with China Minutes at the exhibition, Monica Yan, founder of CQ London and a Cross-Cultural Practitioner, explained that โItโs extraordinary and very unique for traditional Chinese wedding garments to be shown [at an exhibition in the UK]โฆ it is a very high-level and one-of-a-kind event.โ
Her fashion brand, CQ London, had provided some of the outfits for the exhibition; her favourite piece was a replica of a real 1930โs wedding Cheongsam held in a museum in Beijing. This is not just because of the beauty of the dress, but also because outfits like it were part of the first wave of women’s empowerment in China. Hitting on the themes of the exhibition.
Since its inception in 2015, London Craft Week has become one of the worldโs most important arts and crafts events, supported by the King Charles Foundation and initiated by founder Guy Salter. Held in London every early summer, Craft Week brings together designers, brands, galleries and artisans from around the world to create a platform for international and local, historical and contemporary exchange through exhibitions, lectures and workshops.
China has participated in the exhibition since it began, representing the beauty of traditional Chinese craftsmanship on the global stage every year. This year’s exhibition is held at the Royal Mint Court and will run until the 14th of May. You can register to visit on the London Craft Week website.
This year’s event was organised by the Art and Design Press, supported by the London Craft Week Organising Committee and the Cultural Section of the Chinese Embassy in the UK. Media support was provided by Nouvelles dโEurope.
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