First Exhibition of the New Year | Layered Shadows of Time: From the Spring Festival Gala Living Room to the Asian New Silk Road!

As the core venue of the China Media Group Spring Festival Gala's Yiwu sub-venue, Ximen Ancient Street has already become the most vibrant cultural landmark this Spring Festival. Centered around the theme "Tour Yiwu Following the Spring Festival Gala, Explore Ximen with Joy," folk performances, opera concerts, and intangible cultural heritage markets are blooming simultaneously. The two exhibition halls created by Asia Design Week, woven together with the threads of "life memories" and "mutual learning among civilizations," bring the warmth of the Spring Festival Gala and the brilliance of Asian art into a splendid encounter!

Section 1: Spring Radiance Fills the Room · Moments Solidified in Time

— Exhibition Area on 40 Years of Life Changes Through the Spring Festival Gala

As the opening chapter of "Layered Shadows of Time: From the Spring Festival Gala Living Room to the Asian New Silk Road," this exhibition directly creates an "immersive family memory space," where every detail embodies the Chinese people's complex of family reunion and the imprints of changing times.

Time-Space Restoration: Using decades as a measure, it meticulously recreates living room scenes from the 1980s up to 2025—from the black-and-white TV and sewing machines of the 80s, to the color TVs and组合 cabinets of the 90s, and onto the modern living rooms fully equipped with smart appliances. Step by step, it串起 the evolution of Chinese family life, also reflecting the changes and continuities of the Spring Festival Gala over more than 40 years. Just as the Gala has transformed from an "audio-visual feast" to a "diverse cultural stage," it holds the Chinese people's most simple aspirations for life and the pursuits of the times.

Emotional Resonance: Retro furniture and period artifacts are thoughtfully arranged, while classic Spring Festival Gala footage loops gently. Those warm moments of sitting together in front of the TV for the New Year's Eve dinner and watching the Gala are instantly reawakened; the融入 of the Year of the Horse Gala's festive atmosphere gives this memory of reunion a contemporary warmth.

Tacit Dialogue: A specially designed "window-viewing" installation is featured, embedding imagery of Asian society and culture within the family scenes, creating a silent dialogue between personal life memories and Asia's historical progression. This solidifies the emotional and logical foundation for the "symbiotic narrative" of the dual exhibitions.

Rooted in Yiwu's position as a key node city on the "New Silk Road," this major exhibition brings together emerging creative forces from countries and regions along the "Belt and Road." Integrating AIGC creative formats, it has received strong support from relevant units at Tongji University, the China Academy of Art, and Shandong University of Art & Design. Numerous award-winning works make a stunning appearance, highlighting the design power of "the symbiosis of tradition and innovation, the of local and global perspectives."

Illustration World Yiwu (400cm * 200cm)
Yu Chuncheng, University of Malaya, Malaysia

AR Work Golden Horse Welcomes the New Spring

Lu Zuyao, Gao Haoming, Yang Ruiqi, Zhou Zhiyuan

Hybrid-X Advanced Creative Lab, Tongji University

数字艺术作品《步履千年 · 井映义乌》

洪玉 贾歆瑜 黄清怡 陈越 高浩铭  陈雅乐 杨瑞褀 

中国美术学院人工智能艺术设计创新实验室(D&A  Lab）

Digital Artwork Chicken Feathers Flying Over the Silk Road

Li Jiaxuan (Instructors: Li Qiao, Zhao Ruijie), Shanghai Film Academy, Shanghai University

Digital Artwork Future All Things on the Silk Road

Xu Jiaxuan, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University

In addition to the key award-winning works, this major exhibition also汇聚 various types of creative art pieces centered on the Silk Road theme. Rooted in Yiwu's contemporary significance as a key node on the "New Silk Road," it showcases the boundless possibilities of cross-cultural collaboration. Among them, "Chongzhengtang" integrates Eastern aesthetics, using contemporary design to reinterpret intangible cultural heritage techniques, highlighting the innovative power of Chinese brands within the "Belt and Road" context. Other works, such as CCTV.com's Home is Where Love Is, Tongji University's ShadowTale: AI Shadow Puppetry Narrative System, and Eco-Wisdom of Traditional Dwellings along the Ancient Silk Road, comprehensively present the diverse expressions of Silk Road civilization.

Exhibition Area of the China University Zodiac Design Competition

Organizer
Asia Design Week

Co-Presented by
China University Zodiac Design Competition

Collaborating Organizations

• Intelligent Big Data Visualization Lab, Tongji University

• Hybrid-X Advanced Creative Lab, Tongji University

• Artificial Intelligence Art and Design Innovation Lab (D&A Lab), China Academy of Art

• ZiMol

Supporting Units
Chongzhengtang, Shanmu Design

Advisor

Pradyumna Vyas

Chief Planner

Li Sheng

Chief Curators

Li Sheng, Zhang Fang

Co-Curators

Zhang Peiyuan, Zhang Xuwei, Liu Guanhong

Curatorial Team

Ma Hua, Zhou Zhiyuan, Hong Yu, Li Jing, Zhang Zhejun, Liu Juanyu, Lyu Sihao Wei

Acknowledgments

The curatorial team of Asia Design Week, the responsible individuals from all collaborating and supporting units, and the staff who worked tirelessly on-site setting up and building the exhibition during the days leading up to the Spring Festival.