Yuan Yachun (right), editor-in-chief of Zhejiang University Press and Zhao Feng, director of China National Silk Museum, unveil the new book Chinese Silk Design. The launch took place at the opening ceremony of the Symposium on Global Collections of Chinese Silk in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, on Oct 9. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn] 

With the attendance of experts from home and abroad, a symposium focusing on the contemporary interpretation and spread of Chinese silk art opened in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province on Oct 9. 

The event, which runs to Oct 11, is being sponsored by Zhejiang University and organized by the Zhejiang University Press and the China National Silk Museum. It is aimed at gathering academic resources on Chinese silk and forming a sharing platform for future exchanges and cooperation.

More than 60 experts from museums and research institutes – including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes of France – are participating in the symposium. Some of them are expected to share their work experience and insights into the display, conservation and promotion of Chinese silk.

Lu Dongming, president of the Zhejiang University Press, said at the opening ceremony that the spread of techniques and designs for Chinese silk, and the trade of silk products, greatly strengthened the connection of countries and regions along the ancient Silk Road.

This, Lu added, contributed to the peace and stability of international relations and the advancement of the world's civilization as well. 

The university press has formed a new publishing mode for silk culture, according to Lu, which combines books, digital products, cultural and creative items and exhibitions.

He said based on the silk related relics and documents, the press had established a resources and services platform. In the future, the platform will deepen cooperation with designers to boost the commercialization of Chinese silk art and culture.

The Director of the China National Silk Museum, Zhao Feng, proposed a publishing program at the symposium.

He called for international cooperation on publishing a series of global collections of Chinese silk. He said to collect the Chinese silk exhibits in different museums is a significant task for the research, protection and promotion of silk culture. 

Chinese Silk Design, an image-text book showcasing the combination of silk and art, was officially launched at the opening ceremony of the symposium.

Yuan Yachun, editor-in-chief of the university press, said the book would be helpful to the upgrading of traditional industries and would also inject new vitality into the ancient silk culture.