Folk crafts presented by the National Centre RUSSIA feature at the largest international expo in Shanghai
The National Centre RUSSIA is presenting traditional arts and crafts from Russia's regions at the country's cultural stand at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai. This is the world's largest government-run platform where foreign companies showcase their products, services and technologies and build business ties with Chinese partners. The exposition includes an area for demonstration workshops, where guests can learn about the history and techniques behind unique handmade items, ask questions and even try their hand at a distinctive craft. On display are porcelain items, jewellery and nevalyashka (roly-poly toy) figures in traditional Chinese dress, developed by the National Centre together with the manufacturer specifically for expos in China as a token of friendship between our countries.
"We want to show the whole world the beauty and vibrancy of Russian traditional arts and crafts, which continue to inspire poets, writers and fashion designers to this day. Cultural values and traditional crafts underpin the greatness of Russia and every other country. Today, in the age of technology, handmade work is valued more than ever, so preserving and promoting it is very important. Beauty created by hand and with heartfelt care is timeless and understood by people who speak any language, just like diligence and respect for one's craft," said Irina Tesleva, Head of the Department of Social Communications and Regional Relations at the National Centre RUSSIA.
At the national cultural stand, craftswomen from different Russian regions demonstrated Mikhailov coloured lacemaking, traditional fur ornamentation of the peoples of the North, Kukarka bobbin lacemaking from Vyatka, and Khokhloma painting on wood. They have repeatedly represented our country and the National Centre RUSSIA at events in the capital and the regions, as well as on international platforms: the International Youth Festival in Yekaterinburg, INNOPROM.Central Asia, INNOPROM.India and the X Russia–China EXPO in Harbin, as well as the Festival of National Cuisines of the CIS Member States and the Islamic Republic of Iran in Turkmenistan.
The craftswomen include Tatyana Presnova, People's Artist of the Russian Federation, Honorary Citizen of the Ryazan Region and Chief Artist at the Truzhenitsa enterprise, who is presenting Mikhailov coloured lacemaking techniques in China; Maria Igisheva, a craftswoman from the village of Kazym in the Beloyarsky District of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area — Yugra, who actively preserves and develops her people's traditional crafts, including fur ornamentation; and Inna Pushkareva, a master craftswoman from the Kirov Region and a recognised expert in Kukarka lace, the traditional bobbin lace of Vyatka. At the expo, Inna Pushkareva demonstrates how numerous threads and wooden bobbins are used to create delicate openwork lace, sharing the secrets of a craft passed down through generations in the region. Yelena Galkina presented a hallmark of the Nizhny Novgorod Region and one of Russia's most recognisable painting traditions — Khokhloma painting on wood.
The National Centre RUSSIA's workshop area at CIIE provided another opportunity to show our Chinese friends and the wider world the richness of Russia's traditional arts and crafts, and to remind them that each craft embodies skilled handwork, centuries of regional history and the shared cultural identity that unites our country's peoples and generations.
Alongside the National Centre RUSSIA, dozens of exporters presented their products at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai. These included major agricultural holdings and producers of food, cosmetics and clothing from different regions of the country.
The China International Import Expo (CIIE) is the world's largest government-run platform for showcasing foreign goods, services and technologies and establishing business ties between overseas companies and Chinese partners. CIIE has been held annually since 2018 at the initiative of the President of China, Xi Jinping. It is the world's first national-level expo devoted entirely to imports.
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