Celebrating traditional craftsmanship through fashion and performance

The models walked down the runway, their clothes shimmering with the luster of fine fabrics, their cuts accentuating free-spirited silhouettes as they swayed elegantly, while embroidered patterns revealed superb craftsmanship.

Spectators watched with admiration, raising their phones to capture the looks. Some women discussed which outfit they would like to add to their wardrobes.

But this was not a runway show during fashion week. The models were a dozen vocational school students, young children and artisans from different parts of the country, some of whom had designed and made the garments.

After brief rehearsals, they presented distinct catwalk looks that celebrated China's diverse and long-standing fashion traditions, from the plant-based lanran (indigo dyeing) technique to intricate embroidery.

The runway presentation was one of four scenes in Ke Yi Guan (Insight Through), a special performance designed to let audiences feel, see and hear cultural heritage — and, most importantly, help keep it alive.

Produced by the Chinese Traditional Culture Museum, the performance debuted on Aug 19 at the Beijing institution and ran daily through Aug 23, the final day of its first session.

A new addition to the museum's public program, the show will be reinvented with new content for future performances.

"It is not just a performance. It is also a social education activity centered on personal growth and linked by cultural heritage," says Wang Chenyang, Party secretary of the Chinese Traditional Culture Museum.

He says the participants — some appearing onstage for the first time, and others recruited through the museum's WeChat account and trained for just a few days — had little performance experience but were full of enthusiasm.