Sydney launches 2026 'Lanting Cultural Salon' and 'Tea for Harmony Gathering'

The 2026 "Lanting Cultural Salon" and "Tea for Harmony: Dragon Boat Festival Elegant Gathering" were launched on June 19 at the China Cultural Centre in Sydney.

Co-hosted by the China Cultural Centre in Sydney, the China National Tourist Office in Sydney, and the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, the events brought together more than 100 guests from diplomatic, artistic and community circles.

The opening ceremony featured Australian musician Tony Wheeler who performed a classic guqin piece, setting an elegant tone for the evening.

The "Lanting Cultural Salon – The Realm of Clouds and Mountains in Chinese Calligraphy and Painting” exhibition, curated by the Tianjin Museum, showcases masterpieces such as Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, Purification at the Orchid Pavilion, Nine Elders of Xiangshan Mountain and the Elegant Gathering in the Western Garden, tracing a millennium-long lineage of Chinese literati gatherings where poetry, music, calligraphy, and tea blended seamlessly with nature. The show will run through July 21.

Over the Dragon Boat Festival weekend, the China Cultural Centre in Sydney partnered with Sydney's Chinese Garden of Friendship to host the "Tea for Harmony" garden fair, featuring Tianjin intangible cultural heritage experiences such as Yangliuqing woodblock printing, bamboo-weaving dragon boat craftsmanship and more. Interactive programs including zongzi wrapping, pitch-pot, martial arts and folk music offered locals an immersive taste of Chinese culture.