A Celadon Encounter Across Continents：

When Intangible Heritage Meets Creative Youth From USTB China at the British Museum

Author: Chen Weicheng, University of Science and Technology Beijing

When the young scholars of University of Science and Technology Beijing crossed paths with the thousand-year-old celadon treasures of the British Museum, a dialogue between past and present, East and West. The soft radiance of a powder-green censer met the spark of contemporary design, and in that meeting, the timeless beauty of Longquan celadon found new resonance.

From the censer crafted by Zhang Yingying, daughter of inheritor Zhang Shaobin, to the team’s creations of emblems, badges, keychains, and postcards, each object carried a double heartbeat: reverence for tradition, and the courage to reimagine. In the galleries of the British Museum, these works seemed to converse across centuries with the celadon vessels within, weaving together memory and innovation, heritage and youth.

This journey was more than a display of practice; it was a cultural exchange, a bridge of imagination. Through it, the world glimpsed the quiet grace of Longquan celadon. And the vision and devotion of a new generation determined to let heritage speak again.