A seemingly pure art exhibition actually signals a new phase in the industrialization of textile intangible heritage. On July 18, the 'Beyond Garments, Extraordinary Art — Yuan Ze Art Exhibition Tour' opened at the Nantong Tie-Dye Museum and Huayi Art Museum, running until October. Guided by the Nantong and Hai'an Federation of Literary and Art Circles and hosted by Jiangsu Huayi Group, the exhibition features six series — 'Native China,' 'Homage to Masters,' 'Costume Notes,' 'Extraordinary Art,' 'Encounter,' and 'Paradox' — totaling over 30 original works. Using fabric as paper and needle as brush, Yuan integrates costume history, era memory, and color aesthetics into fiber art, alongside ancient tie-dye techniques like Yuzi Xie.
Yuan Ze's background is noteworthy. As a leading Chinese costume historian, his works 'History of Chinese Costume' and 'A Century of Clothing' are industry classics. His shift from scholarly research to visual creation signals that tie-dye heritage is moving from academia to broader industrial and public spheres.
The Intersection of Academia and Industry
That afternoon, academic host Lou Shengsen delivered a lecture titled 'Dyeing as the Way, Color Inheriting China,' systematically reviewing traditional printing and dyeing color systems, deconstructing the craft aesthetics of ancient tie-dye and plant dyeing, and exploring how to integrate traditional colors and heritage patterns into modern design. The talk targeted university teachers, industry practitioners, and art researchers, offering both theoretical support and practical pathways.
A subsequent academic seminar convened representatives from government, industry, academia, and art. Participants from the Nantong and Hai'an Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Jiangsu Huayi Group management, university experts, and the editor of 'Textile & Apparel Weekly' engaged in deep discussions on Yuan's works, tie-dye heritage preservation, traditional color aesthetics, and school-enterprise collaboration. This cross-sector resource matching aims to push heritage from museum display cases into brand supply chains.
Nantong Tie-Dye Museum: From Cultural Landmark to Industrial Engine
As the exhibition's venue, the Nantong Tie-Dye Museum is a key cultural tourism project within Jiangsu Huayi Group's '1979 Huayi Garden' and the first city-named tie-dye fashion application museum in China. It integrates permanent historical exhibits, contemporary art shows, heritage experiences, industry-academia-research exchanges, and cultural product sales, combining traditional museum functions with modern commercial innovation.
In recent years, through regular high-quality art exhibitions, academic events, and heritage experiences, the museum has become a popular local cultural tourism destination and study base. It attracts not only citizens and tourists but also school trips from primary, secondary, art, and textile universities. This immersive, 'observable, experiential, and learnable' setting plays multiple roles in aesthetic education, science communication, and industry promotion.
For the textile industry, this marks a critical shift: tie-dye heritage is no longer a static cultural symbol but a living resource that can be commercialized, educationalized, and branded. Through this museum, Jiangsu Huayi Group is building a complete chain from academic research and artistic innovation to industrial implementation.