Join YiCrafts and friends for an evening of East Asian culture, music and fashion from China’s minority ethnicities to celebrate Cultural Style Week!
In the last decade, China has burst onto the global stage; China’s economy, culture and politics have become a part of everyday news and international events. However, the monolithic images of China conjured by the world’s media hide the incredible diversity of a country with 55 indigenous ethnic minorities, each with unique and colourful cultures, crafts, and traditions.
Intercultural sharing is constant and often unconscious throughout our daily lives, and handcrafts are the physical embodiment of culture and cultural sharing. Yi Crafts brings authentic experiences of China’s ethnic minority crafts and traditions to London, making them accessible to everyone.
The YiCrafts Chinese ethnic minority fashion showcase will focus on traditional wear and handcrafts from Southwestern China’s beautiful ethnic minorities. Our 12 looks include daily wear to wedding wear with exquisite hand embroideries and textiles. Most outfits take more than two years to make from weaving, dyeing and embroidery, all done by hand. We want to share these valuable but vanishing traditional costumes and handcrafts with you and celebrate their cultures during the Cultural Festival Week to help preserve them. The fashion showcase will include fashion from:
- Bouyei ethnic minority
- Lahu ethnic minority
- Bai Ku Yao ethnic minority
- Miao/Hmong ethnic minority
- Dong ethnic minority
- Liangshan Yi ethnic minority
- Bai ethnic minority
- Diao Cao Cun Yi ethnic minority
Guzheng (traditional Chinese Instrument) performance by Mengna Li.
Mengna graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music in China and has performed in front of senior government officials in numerous locations worldwide. Her performance will include beautiful Spring River Flower Moon Night and Mountain Stream renditions.
Traditional Miao ethnic minority dance called Gold Pheasant by Hongqiuye Wei and Rong Zhao.
Hongqiuye Wei is a Chinese dance artist originally from southern China’s Bouyei minority ethnicity, and Zhao Rong is a Chinese dance artist from Xi’an, China. Hong specializes in folk dance, which explores movement through her identity interconnected with multiple folk-dance traditions. Zhao Rong specialises in Chinese classical and contemporary dance, and she explores the art of cross-cultural dance through her practical experience. Together they will perform the traditional Miao ethnic minority dance called Gold Pheasant.
Contemporary dance performance by Yu-Chien Cheng inspired by Bai ethnic group‘s traditional Indigo stitch resist dyeing handcrafts
Born and raised in Taiwan, Yu-Chien Cheng is a freelance contemporary dance artist in London, UK. Yu-Chien started her dance training in Ballet, contemporary, and Chinese dance. She continues her training by joining VERVE 22, where she performs works by Akram Khan, Sita Ostheimer, and Alesandra Seutin. The three pieces are toured nationally within the UK, including The Place (London), Dance House (Cardiff), Dance City (Newcastle), and Riley Theatre (Leeds).
Cultural Style Week
Established in May 2022, The London-birthed Cultural Style Week movement is a visual celebration of cultural diversity. From 21-27 May, Cultural Style Week encourages people from all walks of life to celebrate and wear their heritage! Our in-person events combine fashion, culture, education and arts, and this event ticks all boxes!
‘YiCrafts & Friends’ is an official Cultural Style Week fashion event hosted by Nayha, and limited tickets are available.
For our inaugural launch event, the YiCrafts fashion segment included stunning pieces from China’s minority ethnicities with educational narrations. So much more is in store for this event, so don’t miss out!
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