China's creative heritage goes on show in Madrid

An ongoing exhibition at the China Cultural Center in Madrid is celebrating the depth and diversity of Chinese culture not via the display of artifacts, but through creative products inspired by ancient objects from museum collections.

Curated and organized by the National Museum of China, the exhibition, Ancient China in Creative Products, runs until March 15 and gathers dozens of antiquity replicas and more than 500 collectibles developed by several major museums across China. Some are themed on the horse, the zodiac animal of 2026, and others are modeled after important artifacts dating from the Neolithic Age to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

In recent years, well-designed products offered at museum gift shops have become a major draw, especially for younger visitors. Items such as refrigerator magnets, small lamps and accessories inspired by a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) empress' coronet — long on display at the National Museum of China — have helped turn cultural heritage into everyday design.