Maintur Furniture Shines at Reviving Craft London Exhibition with Dragon and Phoenix Harmony Jiaoyi-style Thrones

BEIJING, Sept. 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Haiwainet, the website of the overseas edition of the People's Daily, today reported that the 2026 "Reviving Craft - Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Design" exhibition ("Reviving Craft"), organised by Sun Media Group, is being held at Somerset House in London from 16 to 27 September 2026. According to Haiwainet, under the theme "Reflection of the Mind" and drawing on the traditional Chinese philosophical foundations of Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism, this year's exhibition is divided into three thematic sections: "Clear the Mind", "Refine the Mind" and "Nourish the Mind". Bringing together the country's finest intangible heritage craftsmanship in fusion with contemporary design, it will showcase the renewed vitality of Eastern lifestyle aesthetics to a global audience. As a leading enterprise representing Dongyang Wood Carving, a national intangible cultural heritage, Maintur Furniture will present its work Dragon and Phoenix Harmony Jiaoyi-style Thrones in the "Refine the Mind" section. Using millennium-old wood carving craftsmanship as a bridge, the piece carries the exquisite heritage of Chinese imperial court furniture across continents, engaging in profound dialogue with contemporary life around the world.

Founded in 1998, Maintur Furniture has spent twenty-eight years cultivating three core business segments: mahogany furniture, solid wood interior fit-outs and low-carbon wooden houses. The brand has consistently built its practice around Dongyang Wood Carving, a national treasure-level intangible cultural heritage craft, weaving millennium-old carving wisdom into contemporary spatial creation. With deep craftsmanship expertise and strong original design capabilities, Maintur Furniture has served as an appointed strategic supplier for 17 top-tier international events, including the G20 Hangzhou Summit and the BRICS Xiamen Summit, continuously presenting the world with an Eastern living aesthetic that combines intangible heritage craftsmanship with modern sensibility.

Crafted from black walnut, the exhibited Dragon and Phoenix Harmony Jiaoyi-style Thrones traces its prototype to a piece in the collection of the Qing imperial court — a treasured masterpiece of classical Chinese court furniture used as daily seating by emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Maintur Furniture has recreated the piece using traditional Dongyang Wood Carving methods, strictly following the craftsmanship standards of the Qing Imperial Workshop. Breaking with the traditional format of a single throne, the design consists of a matched pair representing dragon and phoenix. The dragon throne is carved throughout with grand, sweeping strength, its armrests finely shaped into an upward-facing dragon's head, while the backrest bears a high-relief motif of dragons amid clouds and waves, evoking the auspicious imperial imagery of "the dragon teaching its offspring". The phoenix throne's backrest is carved with a pair of phoenixes in harmony, their wings outstretched in graceful flight; its softness complements the dragon throne's strength, together embodying the auspicious Eastern meaning of "harmony between dragon and phoenix, blessed with fortune and prosperity".

The complete set was entirely hand-carved under the guidance of a provincial-level master of wood carving craftsmanship, forgoing machine-based mass production in favour of core Dongyang Wood Carving techniques including high-relief, deep, round and openwork carving. The backrests inherit the lacquer techniques once reserved for the Qing imperial court, with artisans hand-applying genuine gold leaf and a glazed finish. The black walnut base and gilded motifs form a striking contrast of black and gold, while the patterns have a full, vivid relief with a golden lustre that endures over time. Meanwhile, the hardware fittings, including the thrones' bronze pivots and hinges, were custom-made using traditional hand-chiselling and gilt-bronze techniques, achieving a two-way fusion of wood carving and traditional bronze craftsmanship that balances structural stability with artistic appeal.

As this age-old piece of court furniture steps out from the archives of the Forbidden City onto the international exhibition stage, Dragon and Phoenix Harmony Jiaoyi-style Thrones is more than a collectible piece of furniture — it is a living testament to the ongoing transmission of intangible cultural heritage craftsmanship. Maintur Furniture has distilled a millennium of Dongyang Wood Carving craftsmanship into these objects, using the international exhibition as a window to help audiences overseas understand Chinese ritual culture and the charm of woodworking artistry. Looking ahead, Maintur Furniture will continue to uphold the essence of this intangible heritage craft, promote traditional Chinese craftsmanship on the global stage and enable the world to discover the rich and vibrant beauty of Chinese lifestyle aesthetics.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/199f1a47-42a7-41bc-93c1-d3e53b8c13c0
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/88a874da-37cb-4f9f-958e-6608f7f42ada
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9d00f811-7054-4c85-9872-e7c64fd04012

Company：Haiwainet
Contact Person: Cui Jinjin
Position: Senior Specialist, Public Opinion Department
Email: cuijinjin@haiwainet.cn
Website: https://www.haiwainet.cn/
Telephone: +86 189 1130 1968
City：Beijing, China

Maintur Furniture Shines at Reviving Craft London Exhibition with Dragon and Phoenix Harmony Jiaoyi-style Thrones

Maintur Furniture Shines at Reviving Craft London Exhibition with Dragon and Phoenix Harmony Jiaoyi-style Thrones

Maintur Furniture Shines at Reviving Craft London Exhibition with Dragon and Phoenix Harmony Jiaoyi-style Thrones

Maintur Furniture Shines at Reviving Craft London Exhibition with Dragon and Phoenix Harmony Jiaoyi-style Thrones

Maintur Furniture Shines at Reviving Craft London Exhibition with Dragon and Phoenix Harmony Jiaoyi-style Thrones

Maintur Furniture Shines at Reviving Craft London Exhibition with Dragon and Phoenix Harmony Jiaoyi-style Thrones