CHINA MODERNE

YIJI Collection x China Moderne present:

The Dali Edit

A 4-day journey through ancient rituals and contemporary interpretations of place-based design in Dali, Yunnan.

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Free Guide: 24 Hours in Shanghai with Linehouse

Spend 24 hours exploring the old, the new, the local, and the global in one of our favorite design classrooms: Shanghai.

Who’s our guide for a discovery tour of modern Shanghai? Our inspiring friends at Linehouse, the female-founded architecture and design studio that approaches every project with curiosity, humanity, and a deep sense of materiality and craft. Allow them to show you their Shanghai.

Enter your email to download the free guide (optimized for phone viewing so you can keep it in your pocket as you explore ☺︎).

Our project to document China’s current design and architectural landscape: Follow along @chinamoderne

PAPER: One of China's Four Great Inventions, and the first installment in our new Materials series. We begin with the origins — the history of papermaking. Illustrations from: New Poetry, Papermaking, Calligraphy, and Painting Manual 新诗造纸书画谱 C
Across architecture, interiors, fashion, hospitality, and craft, a contemporary Chinese design language is re-emerging — one rooted in its own history rather than borrowed from elsewhere. We started China Moderne to document a liminal moment in
From lakeside retreats in Dali to restaurants in Chongqing, coastal cliffs in Quanzhou to gardens of Suzhou — Xie Ke's work spans some of China's most distinct landscapes across architecture, interior design, and hospitality. Together with co-f
Designed by OMA, the Hangzhou Prism AC Hotel eschews the conventional hotel tower for a more sculptural approach, using geometry, cascading terraces, and light to shape the guest experience. Embedded within the mixed-use Prism development in Hangzhou
In Dongfengyun Town, Mile City, sculptor Luo Xu built a cluster of red brick domes that rise from Yunnan's red earth like a field of termite mounds. Constructed entirely from locally sourced brick, without a single steel bar or nail, the structures s
In a tranquil Yunnan village, Xie Ke of Signyan Design has transformed a traditional farmhouse courtyard into a private hot springs retreat. Emphasizing restoration over replacement, the design lets the modest structure's original qualities lead. Ov
夏至 marks the summer solstice in the Chinese solar calendar: the longest day of the year, when the sun sits directly above the Tropic of Cancer and yang energy reaches its peak. Across China, lotus ponds enter full bloom. The moment daylight is longe
Celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the Dragon Boat Festival 端午节 (duānwǔ jié) is more than 2000 years old. Ancient Chinese considered the fifth month dangerous, as early summer heat bred insects and illness. Hanging mugwort a
Hangzhou-based Slow Coral Design has transformed two existing cliffside caves along Yandang Mountain's Fangdong-to-Lingyan route into a pair of cliff cafés, specifically designed to invite a younger generation of hikers to this UNESCO Global G
Yunnan province in southwest China is one of the country's most culturally layered regions, home to 25 of China's 56 officially recognized ethnic minorities — including the Bai, Naxi, Yi, and Dai — each with distinct textile traditions, a
Atelier Guo has transformed the Cheng Family Ancestral Hall in Nanping Village into a village cinema, public library, and cultural gathering space — without altering the original structure. The intervention centers on a pivoting panel system de
Often called China’s Mona Lisa, Along the River During the Qingming Festival 清明上河圖 is one of the most celebrated paintings in Chinese history. Created during the Northern Song dynasty by Zhang Zeduan 張擇端, the handscroll captures an entire city
Built on the site of an abandoned brick kiln outside Jianshui, Yunnan, Ant Workshop is the creation of Chinese artist Luo Xu. This sprawling architectural art park is constructed entirely from locally made hollow bricks, fired from Jianshui's distinc
Jingdezhen-based artist 邵磊 Shào Lěi (@shao_lei_) explores fragility, time, and the relationship between body, material, and environment in his sculptures. Photos by @signyandesign & @wdesignsh #chinamoderne #newchina
Blue calico 蓝印花布 (lányìn huābù) is one of China’s oldest textile traditions, rooted in the canal towns south of the Yangtze River where the climate, soil, and water support both cotton cultivation and indigo farming. The cr
Along the southeastern edge of Datong's ancient city walls, Sunyata Datong is the product of a five-year collaboration between GOA, interior designers CCD and Signyan design. The guiding principle of the project was was to respect the ancient city's
The art of the Chinese corridor. Captured by 微光、, 林深见鹿, shota哥, 秋实丨宋与宋造园社, 一心贤, 肥小猫, 高娅杰GaoYaJie📸 on 小红书 #chinamoderne #newchina
The Beijing Central Axis, named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, dates back 700 years to the Yuan Dynasty and stretches 7.8 kilometers through the old city center. This urban spine reflects the core principles of ancient Chinese capital planning: rig
The oil-paper umbrella 油纸伞 feels modern once again. Captured by 5+7的东方美学, 小汤圆旺旺2026, MENG., 想早点退休的金妮, 梳妆非是多迟慢, 喜橙高端婚礼定制北京店, 奶油泡芙, 长物, 南京独立设计师-菲菲, Silent.N13 on 小红书 #chinamoderne #newchina