Today, the distinguished guests who attended the Beijing Belt and Road International Cooperation Summit Forum are gradually beginning their journeys home. In their luggage, they’ll find commemorative gifts presented by China—items that reflect Beijing’s rich history, culture, and unique regional characteristics: the “Silk Road Blossoms” carved-lacquer display plate, the “Harmony and Beauty” presentation box set, the “Joining Hands in a Grand Event” cloisonné vase, the “Dreams of a Harmonious World” jewelry box set, the “Harmonious Treasure Cauldron” enamelware piece, and the “Harmonious Rhythm” presentation box.

Each state gift showcases the dazzling charm of traditional Chinese craftsmanship, embodies the cultural spirit of the Chinese nation, and conveys a civilized ancient country’s heartfelt wish for development based on “consultation, joint construction, and shared benefits.”

The “Dreams and the World” jewelry box set features a box design inspired by traditional Chinese window lattices, adorned with rose motifs and enamel-colored sea-wave patterns. The design embodies auspicious wishes for good fortune, harmony, and coexistence.

To align with the theme of this forum, the Beijing Gongmei design team selected more than 20 traditional Chinese crafts—including carved lacquerware, cloisonné enamel, filigree inlay, and enamelware—and completed over 200 draft designs, striving to preserve the essence of China’s traditional arts and crafts culture.

The state gifts—family portraits—make a collective debut. These state gifts, featuring techniques such as carved lacquer, cloisonné enamel, filigree inlay, and enamelware, ingeniously combine more than 20 traditional crafts to achieve an unexpectedly stunning effect.

In pursuit of ultimate perfection and to overcome the challenges inherent in manual craftsmanship, the team introduced 3D technology into the design and production process. This has significantly enhanced the precision of the work and shortened the production timeline.

Each round of review and selection is a process of “choosing the best from among the best.” The state gifts designed and produced by the Beijing Arts & Crafts Group received unanimous praise from experts in the final round of selection, ultimately winning the bid and securing the design and production contract for both the forum leaders’ gifts and their spouses’ gifts.

Chief artisan Guo Ming led a team of young designers and completed over 200 draft proposals for the state gift design.

Whether it’s the three state gifts selected for the APEC summit, the Peace Vase presented to the United Nations, or the acupuncture copper figure gifted to the World Health Organization earlier this year, all were designed and crafted by the Beijing Arts & Crafts Group. As a traditional Beijing court art form, carved lacquer has been designated as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of China.

Due to the complexity of its craftsmanship and the lengthy production cycle, in the past, when national gift designs were commissioned under tight deadlines, the technique of carved lacquer was seldom employed. However, drawing on their extensive experience in crafting national gifts over the years, this team ultimately overcame numerous challenges, giving rise to the carved-lacquer display plate “Blossoms Along the Silk Road” and the presentation box set “The Beauty of Harmony.”

The “Harmony and Beauty” carved lacquer presentation box set draws on the Dunhuang motifs of the盛唐 period as its design elements, conveying blessings of auspiciousness, good fortune, and happiness.

The “Silk Road Blossoms” carved-lacquer serving platter is modeled after the traditional Chinese flower-mouth platter. Its overall shape resembles a blooming peony, symbolizing peace and prosperity along the Silk Road. The “Joining Hands for Great Events” cloisonné vase is designed based on the traditional Chinese vessel known as the “Treasure Moon Bottle.” It embodies auspiciousness, beauty, and enduring cooperation.

The enamelware “Harmony Treasure Cauldron” is designed based on the traditional Chinese ritual vessel—the Zhou Dynasty Three-Sheep Cauldron—incorporating the meanings of “harmony” and “cauldron.” The “Beauty of Harmony” offering box set is crafted using China’s intangible cultural heritage techniques—including carved lacquer, Beijing embroidery, and filigree inlay—conveying blessings of auspiciousness, good fortune, and happiness.

The “Dream and the World” jewelry box set draws its design elements from traditional Chinese flower windows, adorned with rose motifs and enamel-colored sea-wave patterns. The set as a whole exudes elegance and solemnity, imbued with quintessential Chinese charm. The “Harmony in Rhythm” presentation box is meticulously crafted using traditional Chinese handcraft techniques—silver body with filigree enamel work. Its decorative motifs are inspired by the exquisite ceiling designs of Dunhuang from the prosperous Tang Dynasty, conveying the ideals of openness, inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation.

The "Joining Hands for a Grand Celebration" Cloisonné Appreciation Vase is meticulously handcrafted using the Chinese intangible cultural heritage technique of Cloisonné, symbolizing auspiciousness, prosperity, and enduring cooperation. It conveys heartfelt wishes for everyone to gather in Beijing and jointly celebrate this glorious era.

The design and creation of this state gift represent another outstanding achievement by the Beijing Arts & Crafts Group. It embodies the painstaking efforts of dozens of master craftsmen and designers, symbolizes the highest level of contemporary arts-and-crafts design and production, showcases the charm of China’s traditional culture, and conveys China’s heartfelt wishes for development based on “consultation, joint construction, and shared benefits.”