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DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

Hangzhou Elements Cultural and Creative Design by Fan Xiaolin, Chen Gang and Ma Daoshun Wins the Bronze A' Design Award in Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design

Fan Xiaolin, Chen Gang and Ma Daoshun acknowledged for cultural heritage and culture industry design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 23, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Hangzhou Elements Cultural and Creative Design by Fan Xiaolin, Chen Gang and Ma Daoshun, designed for Hangzhou Arts and Crafts Museum, has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design category. The recognition forms part of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

What the Bronze A' Design Award Means

The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.

More About Hangzhou Elements Cultural and Creative Design

Hangzhou Elements is a set of porcelain cups and saucers inspired by the culture of Hangzhou. The blue and white patterns combine the scenery of the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon in West Lake with motifs of Liangzhu culture. Each piece is made with traditional Jingdezhen craftsmanship and fired at 1300 degrees Celsius, which keeps the decoration vivid and the material durable. A contoured handle and an irregular saucer improve comfort in use. The collection is intended for daily use and for festive gifting.

About Fan Xiaolin, Chen Gang and Ma Daoshun

It is a ceramic creative design enterprise located in Jingdezhen. It is deeply rooted in traditional Chinese culture and skillfully integrates modern cultural concepts to create ceramic design works with distinctive local cultural characteristics of Jingdezhen. Over the years, it has won many internationally renowned design awards such as Red Dot Awards and IF Design Awards, and its professional design strength is widely recognized in the industry. It focuses on serving artists and cooperative enterprises that love ceramic culture from Jingdezhen and all over the world, providing customers with comprehensive design planning and product design services.

Award Record

Fan Xiaolin, Chen Gang and Ma Daoshun is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.

About the A' Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design Award

The A' Cultural Heritage Design Award is an international design competition recognizing good designs that preserve, protect, and promote cultural heritage. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to cultural heritage designers, culture industry professionals, cultural heritage specialists and museum designers from all countries. Typical entries include cultural heritage projects, cultural conversation, preservation and restoration and protection projects. The awarded cultural heritage designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/cultural-heritage

About A' Design Award & Competition

Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project
Hangzhou Elements Cultural and Creative Design
Function
Cultural and Creative Design
Category
Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design
Discipline
Communication Design
Industry
Arts and Social Impact
Colors
Lavender, Dark Slate Blue, Midnight Blue, Slate Gray and Light Slate Gray
Images
5
Client
Hangzhou Arts and Crafts Museum

The Recognition

Laureate
Fan Xiaolin, Chen Gang and Ma Daoshun
Country
China
Recognition
Bronze A' Design Award
Edition
2025 - 2026
Design ID
#180669

Credits

Team
Designer:Fan Xiaolin, Designer:Chen Gang, Designer:Ma Daoshun and Designer:Yang Chao
Image Credits
Fan Xiaolin; Chen Gang; Ma Daoshun; Yang Chao; :Fan Xiaolin

Design Details

Unique Properties
Using traditional Chinese blue and white porcelain craftsmanship as a medium, the design integrates the scenic poetry of the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon in West Lake with the deep historical roots of Liangzhu Culture. Transformed through a contemporary design language into daily tableware, the collection not only embodies the distinct regional identity of Hangzhou but also serves as a sophisticated choice for festive gifting.
Inspiration
The natural and cultural landscapes of Hangzhou West Lake, the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, and the history of Liangzhu Culture and intangible cultural heritage.
Research
Reimagining blue and white porcelain, this project blends West Lake Three Pools scenery with Liangzhu heritage. Fired at 1300 degrees Celsius using Jingdezhen techniques, it ensures permanent vibrancy. The design features an irregular saucer and ergonomic handle, balancing aesthetics with utility while resolving stability challenges in firing non standard forms. Beyond function, the collection serves as a cultural vessel and ideal festive gift, embodying the regional identity of Hangzhou.
Challenge
The primary challenge lay in seamlessly integrating Hangzhou cultural motifs with Jingdezhen blue and white porcelain craftsmanship. The objective was to elevate both utility and cultural expression through the design of irregularly shaped cups and saucers alongside ergonomic handles. This required navigating the tension between traditional aesthetics and modern convenience, while technically ensuring the structural stability of these non standard forms during high temperature firing.
Realization and Technology
Utilizing traditional Jingdezhen blue and white porcelain craftsmanship, the work is fired at a high temperature of 1300°C. This rigorous process ensures the patterns remain permanently vibrant and the material exceptionally durable.
Operation and Interaction
The design prioritizes structural ergonomics, featuring a uniquely contoured cup handle paired with an irregularly shaped saucer. This configuration not only enhances usability but also amplifies the visual impact of the cultural narrative. Positioned as a vessel for Hangzhou heritage, the set serves as an ideal festive gift, deepening the connection of the recipient to the distinct cultural identity of the region.
Project Duration and Location
The project originated in Hangzhou, with a development cycle spanning from October to December 2025.
Specifications
Plates width 80mm X depth 80mm X height 15mm. Cups width 60mm X depth 60mm X height 80mm.
Keywords
Cultural Creative Homeware, Cups and Saucers, Ceramic Art, Hangzhou Elements

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