Grotto art items in fashion with Gen Z

LANZHOU－Speaking into a camera, Du Yongwei presented a blue guitar with exquisite patterns of a phoenix and peonies on its body as cultural examples from Dunhuang's Mogao Grottoes in Gansu province.

"The images imitate elements from the murals of the Mogao Grottoes, which have specific meanings in Chinese culture," Du, a 60-year-old inheritor of Dunhuang Painted Sculpture, told the online audience.

Tmall, internet giant Alibaba's online marketplace, on Sunday collaborated with the Dunhuang Museum to hold a livestreaming event at a replica of the grottoes in the museum.

The two-hour livestream, which attracted more than 10,000 online viewers, told stories of Dunhuang's culture and history through themed products.

"We've found that young people are keen on Dunhuang culture and they're also willing to contribute to cultural inheritance," said Liu Chang, manager of the Dunhuang Museum shop on Tmall.

Since the shop opened on May 18, it has received 500,000 visits, with 40 percent of the visitors younger than 30, Liu said.

T-shirts and skateboards with patterns of flying apsaras and mooncakes in the shape of the nine-colored deer are among the products now considered fashionable.

"Before, I couldn't imagine this millennium-old culture on a product as a fashionable design," reads one online comment.

An upsurge in online exhibitions and livestreaming has made cultural and creative products more popular.

Many museums and historical sites have joined hands with livestreaming platforms to offer their products online to the public.

More than 60 museums and cultural and creative stores, both at home and abroad, have opened online shops on Tmall that have attracted 700 million visits, said Liu Qian, who is in charge of the cultural and creative business at Tmall.

"Dunhuang culture is a world treasure and 200 million users of Tmall are from Generation Z, so we hope to create more opportunities for young people to know about Dunhuang," she said.

The Mogao Grottoes, a renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site, are home to collections of Buddhist artwork, including more than 2,000 colored sculptures and 45,000 square meters of murals in 735 caves.

For more than 1,000 years, the site was a popular travelers' stop and a religious shrine on the ancient Silk Road.

Xinhua