Commercial alley promoting cultural heritage opens in Beijing

The new commercial alley will reach people who "may not normally have access to intangible cultural heritage artworks or think about those cultural elements within our contemporary society," says Yi Li, founder of Mammoth-Market, a partner company in the alley. The company has collaborated with over 30 artists listed as successors of national and provincial intangible cultural heritage since September, bringing their works to bigger cities in China.

"This kind of market will give those old skills and artworks a broader audience," Yi says. "Since most people who come to our markets are of the younger generation, the products can hopefully get promoted on social media."

One of the artists is Yang Hui, 32, who specializes in ta pian, or rubbings. She learned the technique from her father when she was a teenager. In 2010, she opened her own shop focusing on creative products related to ta pian.

With the products, such as traditional Chinese fans in various shapes and sizes, she displayed her techniques in her booth at the opening event.

"I loved going to museums when I was a child. The items from ancient times displayed in the museums made me wonder about their stories," she recalls. "What I do now is simply translate something from the past to the present."