To ring in the Year of the Horse, employees of the workshop created "A Dark Horse" series, which has become a hit. Inspired by the treasured tri-colored, black-glazed pottery horse, from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), from the museum's collection, the series includes fridge magnets, calendars and furry bags. Fidget spinners and blind-box figures from the series were particularly popular upon their release.
Young designers have a keen understanding of their peers. As Gao Xuan, a member of the R&D department, notes, "Zodiac-inspired cultural and creative products ought to connect with the emotional needs of young people." Drawing inspiration from the Tang Dynasty tri-colored, glazed flower-dappled pottery horse, the department also created a pair of plush finger puppets, titled A Dark Horse's Friend. The puppets feature magnetic hands that allow them to hold onto one another. This design quickly won over many customers, who shared warm responses, such as: "Two horses, one for me, one for my friend," "It's my little companion — I no longer feel lonely," and "It puts a smile on my face all day long."
IP Licensing Helps Chinese Culture Reach Overseas
The NMC Art Workshop leverages the rich, and unique, cultural relics in the museum's collection to create distinctive IP licensing projects. It enables fine traditional Chinese culture to take root overseas, through cultural and creative products, and to become an important driver of cross-cultural communications.
During various events, such as Hong Kong International Licensing Show and CLE China Licensing Expo, the IP licensing department has introduced their cultural and creative products to industry insiders, and the general public, from both home and abroad. This has helped an increasing number of people learn about the products, and it has made it possible for Chinese culture to be seen — in a more vivid form — by the rest of the world.
"International exchanges are a two-way process. Communicating with industry insiders, and people from different regions, gives us a direct understanding of their diverse preferences for cultural themes and design styles. Such feedback helps us optimize the way we present our IP, making it easier for NMC's cultural resources to better adapt to overseas markets, and thus achieve more effective cross-cultural communications," says Wang Songya, from the IP licensing department.
One of the department's aims is to help national brands expand into overseas markets. While cooperating with a domestic children's clothing brand, the department selected the Hongshan Jade Dragon, known as "China's No. 1 Dragon," from the museum's collection, to be the core element of the line. The department's employees integrated symbols of the ancient cultural relic with contemporary fashion designs. The end result has been a series of children's wear that has planted the seeds of Chinese culture deeply in children's hearts.
To make the cultural expression more appealing, the department collaborated with the brand to create a Chinese-styled animated short film, which incorporated Chinese elements, including molten iron fireworks and octagonal palace lanterns, to present a cultural feast that resonates both visually and emotionally.
While working with an international cosmetics brand, the department's employees selected four women figures from the painting, Portraits of Beauties Through the Ages (from the Ming Dynasty), to match the emotional needs of consumers with different temperaments. They extracted iconic colors and patterns from the painting, and they integrated the elements into the product's packaging. They also added AR technology, to allow consumers to interact with the beauties in the painting, presenting the cultural connotations behind the relic in a more intriguing way.
Throughout the partnerships, the department has maintained a firm commitment to upholding the integrity and cultural significance of the artifacts. By avoiding excessive commercialization and entertainment, the focus remains on presenting products that genuinely serve as a medium for cultural communications, while offering practical utility.
Video by Pei Zhaoyue
Photos from Interviewees, VCG and Zhang Jiamin
(Women of China English Monthly March 2026)
Editor: Lei Yang
