Zhejiang, one of the cradles of ancient Chinese civilization and a leading engine of modern China's economy, brims with diverse charm. Recently, 25 artists from 14 countries—including Australia, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland—embarked on a cultural journey across the province, immersing themselves in China's enduring history and the open vitality of its cities. Inspired by what they saw, the artists created works on the spot, and more than 40 outstanding pieces went on display in Hangzhou.

The exhibits range from sketches and creative notes to impromptu works made during the journey. Amid World Heritage sites such as Liangzhu, West Lake and the Grand Canal, the artists soaked in the charm of ancient ruins and Jiangnan water towns, rendering Zhejiang's landscapes in their own artistic idioms and expressing their distinctive take on Chinese culture. At an intangible cultural heritage workshop in the Hangzhou Arts and Crafts Museum, they turned umbrella canopies into canvases, capturing their visual impressions of the journey. These Chinese-style creations, infused with foreign imagination, also feature in the exhibition.

The journey served as a bridge for artistic and cultural exchange, where the artistic languages, aesthetic sensibilities and ways of thinking of different civilizations met, collided and inspired one another—deepening mutual understanding and dialogue across cultures.