‘Made in China’ exhibition dismantles negative connotations, puts crafts to forefront

A new exhibition at the Wereldmuseum Rotterdam, in the south of the Netherlands, has put to question our preconceived notions of the term ‘Made in China’, aptly the name of the exhibition. This comes particularly in the face of globally renowned designers that are becoming ever-prominent on the fashion landscape, and therefore serve as the pillars of the exhibition, alongside areas on which China is often prejudged; such as that of copying and mass production.

One of those designers was Susan Fang, a London-based Chinese innovator, who was on hand at the exhibition to: firstly, host a short show during the opening event, and secondly, to present a piece of her own work as part of the exhibition. For Fang, the opportunity to do so was imperative in order to accurately represent the innovations behind Chinese creation, particularly from the lens of younger generations.

“It has been amazing to be a part of this beautiful story. [The curators] chose me to represent maybe the more innovative part of China’s design development. I feel honoured because there’s so much beauty in the culture and philosophy of China’s rich history. That really cultivates us as young Chinese people who love creativity, which is a love that is so pure. It’s a privilege to use that love in this way, to create clothes and show that Chinese design can still be very creative and innovative,” Fang told FashionUnited at the exhibition.

‘There’s so much beauty in the culture and philosophy of China’s rich history…’

The piece Fang is presenting at Made in China derives from her AW23 collection, and had initially been presented at London Fashion Week as a showpiece through which water was misted onto a bed of rose petals the model was walking across. In Rotterdam, however, the dress is displayed without the large structure underneath–“it’s not here because you need a big machine and engine,” Fang pointed out–yet its presence still underlines the value the designer finds in prioritising innovation.

At her studio, Fang works closely alongside the brand’s main designer, her mother, whom Fang noted has a “good talent with colour” and was smart and crafty with her hands. It is a sense of sentimentality that can be felt throughout most of the wider exhibition, where there is an overarching personal feel towards almost all the items on display, thus contradicting the “mass produced” notion often imposed on China in a more general manner.

A shift in mindset was intentional to those behind the exhibition, as expressed in the opening speech of Wereldmuseum director of content, Wayne Modest, who said that in fact the focus was for the museum to “highlight the many conscious and unconscious acts of giving shape to the world around us”. Modest continued: “These acts, as the exhibition suggests, begin with imagination, and we give shape to that imagination in wood, clay, stone and threads, and often with love. This exhibition is therefore an ode to making. It is an ode to the many objects we make every day. However, it is also an invitation for us to think about making as a common act, an inclusive act, a democratic act.”

When asking himself the question ‘why China?’ Modest said: “For us, in a certain sense, this exhibition is not about China. We would not be arrogant enough to think we can tell you about all of China. Rather, it is an exhibition that we have created with the many makers that also explores the long history of making traditions and of craftsmanship that China has come to know and has taught the world. It’s an exhibition that we make with China as part of our way of thinking, because China has given to us, offered to us, a way of thinking about ancient traditions that are still vibrant today.”

‘Making as a common act, an inclusive act, a democratic act…’

From the outset of the exhibition, Modest’s words already come into context. In the first room, visitors are immediately thrust into a space surrounded by projections of human hands crafting intricate products, emphasising the sometimes slow and thought-provoking nature of creation, a process that is often not associated with Chinese production methods. From here, you are then directed to the beginning of a timeline, giving deeper insight into the long-running history of Chinese craftsmanship, further highlighting the expansive nature of what it means to be ‘Made in China’.

It must be noted at this point that this exhibition isn’t fashion-focused and instead unveils the vastness of Chinese creation, with fashion being but a small, yet still major element, to this. Next to a selection of textiles, historic garments and designer pieces, you will also discover Shanghai tea sets from 1895; earrings of the Nvikh and Oroch people of southeastern Siberia, who traded with their Chinese neighbours; and paper cut landscapes as a traditional art form, among many other things.

It becomes evident by the second room, in which the topic of ‘Materials and Techniques’ is touched on, that a theme in terms of layout is to remain throughout. Items are delicately displayed as if in a workshop, most held in glass cases atop bare wood structures. In some areas, interaction is encouraged. It’s possible, for example, to feel various brush types–from one made of squirrel hair to those of bear, pig and weasel hairs. Text is also displayed in both English and Dutch, occasionally hanging from scroll-like papers, in keeping with the theme.

It is within the ‘Materials and Techniques’ room that we get our first glimpse at clothing. Among them, one of the oldest garments, descended in a glass case, is a bamboo beaded shirt that, while made between 1890 to 1920, would have actually been worn in the Ming Dynasty (1368 until 1644) as an undershirt. Silk is, of course, also highlighted, given its own corner where jackets, decorated rolls of fabric and shoes are housed. A stand out piece here are some heels designed by Denise Huang, who was inspired by costumes in the imperial collections of China’s Forbidden City, and feature silk chrysanthemums.

Preconceived notions of China are turned on their head

While up until this point, the exhibition remains relatively light, moving into a section about production, the viewer is confronted with the question: “At what cost?” Here, the darker side of China’s rapidly expanded manufacturing industry is explored, albeit in a limited setting. Through video art and photography, the exhibition aims to show the impact on people and the environment that has come with this explosive industry growth, while the direct words of workers operating in these conditions also intends to emphasise the troubles derived from this topic. A piece of work from China’s first openly gay poet Mu Cao, for example, lies among these, touching on the human rights abuses that are intertwined with manufacturing jobs. Cao’s poems can only be published unofficially in China.

Elsewhere, however, existing ideas behind ‘Made in China’ are turned on their head. The next section, ‘The art of copying’, attempts to do just this. Instead of framing copying as it is often perceived to be–a negative–the exhibition instead explores the concept as though it was an art form, a one China has become well-known and well-versed in. It does well to remind us that before the rise of counterfeiting, imitation was a form of paying homage to masters of the past–as seen in a Song dynasty (960 to 1279) practice that had come to be known as antiquarianism. This is just one of the forms of imitation explored in the exhibition, with there being many that do come without negative connotations. Copying is thus explored through a Chinese lens, diving into the concepts of what is actually an ancient tradition of replicating objects as tributes to their original marker.

It would be hard, however, to avoid the topic of counterfeits, with this element being quite a real issue in today’s fashion industry. The Wereldmuseum doesn’t ignore this. A small corner of the maze of wooden stands is dedicated to these counterfeits, yet this is reframed under the title ‘creative copycatting’ or ‘Shanzhai’. Here, a Peppa Pig “Gucci” shirt, a “Supreme” top featuring a bedazzled Pikachu and “Nike” shoes, instead donning the name “NKIE AHR”, aim to reflect such a practice, which the exhibition says comes as more of a “play” on brand names and, notably, has influenced brands to get more involved with local consumers.

The final room is much more open in terms of layout than its predecessors, allowing each item a space of its own. At the front and centre, for example, under its own spotlight, is a miniature dress silhouette made out of pieced together ceramic. Next to it stands a jewellery item by Chan Po Fung, who utilises broken jewellery with emotional value to create his pieces. It is also here that we get a glimpse of Chinese fashion design talent, each one again attempting to challenge foreign perceptions and actively work against stereotypes that they themselves do not fit into.

This is at the heart of Feng Chen Wang’s displayed design, which was initially part of the designer’s 2018 spring collection aimed at redefining the ‘Made in China’ label. With this line, and with the look in the exhibit, Wang set out to present the craftsmanship of the makers as well as show evidence of what contemporary and innovative Chinese design can be. Fang’s dress is also in this room, framed as though it is the grand finale. Next to it, visitors are encouraged to watch a video about the designer’s production process, further underlining the skill that goes into each individual piece.

And, after exploring this renewed take on what it means to be ‘Made in China’, Fang’s words to FashionUnited summarised the perspective perfectly: “I’m used to travelling and living in different places–whether it’s China, Canada, the UK or the US–and while it was a struggle, I thought it was very beautiful to experience different cultures and noticed how there’s misunderstanding but also inspiration from different perspectives. That’s why I felt it’s always really important to bring something positive, so that people from different cultures can find some unification in some way, and therefore a healing emotion.”

'Made in China' at Wereldmuseum Rotterdam runs from October 11, 2024, to August 31, 2025.