The 2026 Shenyang Qipao Culture and Art Season has launched its core visual arts exhibition, “Life Like Summer Flowers — International Digital ICH Art Exhibition,” at the Liaohe ICH Aesthetics Gallery in Shenyang’s Heping District. Opened on June 28 and running through October 8, 2026, the exhibition merges traditional qipao and ICH craftsmanship with 3D digital modeling, 4K immersive video, and gesture-recognition interactive systems.
The exhibition is organized by the Liaohe ICH Aesthetics Gallery and curated by Professor Zhang Lei of the Luxun Academy of Fine Arts Humanities School, with Lu Ziyang serving as academic advisor. The curatorial team extracted traditional patterns, ancient techniques, and Eastern aesthetic symbols from Liaohe regional heritage, following a creative path of deconstruction, reconstruction, and artistic retranslation to produce over 40 original digital artworks.
Five Thematic Halls Explore Life Aesthetics
The exhibition unfolds across five thematic halls, each exploring a dimension of the “life aesthetics of summer flowers” concept. “Prelude of Flowers” looks back at cultural heritage to bridge past and present. “Hidden Flowers” interprets the wisdom of restraint and humility. “Blooming Flowers” channels upward vitality. “Elegant Flowers” reflects the self-possessed demeanor of the gentleperson. “Rhythm of Flowers” leaves space for aesthetic contemplation.
Visitors navigate these spaces through game-like immersive experiences, using gesture recognition, body-motion capture, and voice-activated triggers to explore pattern origins, understand craft techniques, and engage with traditional aesthetic systems. The interactive design breaks the conventional one-way viewing model of traditional ICH exhibitions.
Digital Qipao Show and AI Cultural IP
A standout feature is a digital qipao show featuring an AI-generated virtual human based on real dancer Fan Kaiqing. The digital performance interprets Eastern aesthetic spirit through animated qipao garments, making intangible cultural heritage visible and tangible. The exhibition also premiered the “Bling Zai” cultural creative toy series — a collaboration between the Liaohe ICH Aesthetics Gallery and a domestic designer toy brand, incorporating traditional elements into everyday apparel, gifts, and art education products.
The exhibition includes a dedicated ICH workshop space, “Huanzhong Zaowu,” which will offer regular hands-on craft experiences and aesthetic education courses. A concurrent public welfare project uses traditional craft techniques to support people with disabilities, adding a social impact dimension to the exhibition’s cultural programming.
The Liaohe ICH Aesthetics Gallery is located on the third floor of the Zhenyouhe immersive lifestyle mall at Laobeishi Huangshi Road in Shenyang’s Heping District. The gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday, with paid admission for the special exhibition.