Florentia Village Collaborates with Chinese Paper-Cutting Artist Qiu Jia for Year of the Dragon

The partnership brings together traditional Chinese culture and Italian style in a limited-edition work of art

SHANGHAI, March 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — This Chinese New Year, Florentia Village collaborated with Chinese paper-cutting artist Qiu Jia to create an exclusive art piece inspired by the Year of the Dragon. The artwork marked the launch of “A ‘Meaningful’ New Year” themed campaign, Florentia Village’s Lunar New Year celebration at its six locations across Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu and Chongqing. Exquisite paper-cut-themed installations and festive decorations blended timeless Chinese artistic tradition with classic Italian style for a very special Chinese New Year atmosphere that attracted enthusiastic visitors to come and experience it. During this period, Florentia Village demonstrated outstanding overall performance, with significant increases in both sales and footfall, achieving double-digit year-on-year growth and showcasing strong momentum.

As a prize of traditional Chinese culture, paper-cutting holds immense historical and cultural value. It symbolizes people’s collective aspirations for an auspicious and prosperous life. Inspired by the Chinese zodiac dragon (or “Loong”), Qiu Jia used classical Italian architecture as the piece’s foundation and wove together a rich tapestry of Chinese traditions – including the Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, Five Elements, and Feng Shui – alongside evocative forest imagery. The intricate design interlaces elements representative of the four seasons: nesting birds in the spring, gentle waves of summer nights, the full moon of autumn, and dazzling fireworks in winter. The whole dreamy scene is depicted amidst floating clouds.

The artwork features the “iris dragon,” a unique interpretation of Florentia Village’s diverse offerings. Distinct from its traditionally scaled counterpart, the iris dragon is adorned with an array of fashionable prints such as checks, polka dots, stars, and ocean waves. Its head is crowned with Florentia Village’s golden iris flower logo. The piece eloquently embodies the theme “A ‘Meaningful’ New Year”, bringing together cultural heritage with modern aesthetics.

Qiu Jia is a master in crafting ethereal and whimsical paper-cut art. Her distinguished career over the past decade includes collaborations with internationally acclaimed brands including TASAKI, Sephora, and Luxottica.

Paper-cut art installations inspired by Qiu Jia’s exclusive Year of the Dragon masterpiece also debuted across Florentia Villages in Beijing–Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou-Foshan, Wuhan, Chengdu, and Chongqing, offering a romantic, three-dimensional portrayal of the Village. In each installation, the four seasons have been artistically layered, enhancing the depth, and dynamically capturing the majestic figure of the dragon. The intricate interplay of dots, lines, and planes form a gorgeous paper-cut piece that brings to life the wood dragon as it soars towards the sky from the verdant forest that sprouts from the Italian architecture below in a symbol of renewal and growth.

Complementing these installations, the shop windows throughout each Florentia Village were decorated with papercuts inspired by Qiu Jia’s Year of the Dragon artwork, injecting a touch of vibrant color to the villages, and elevating the festive ambiance.

During Chinese New Year, Florentia Village’s locations in Shanghai and Chongqing marked their anniversaries with celebrations that infused the festivities with both playfulness and excitement. In Shanghai, the Village invited the Shanghai Rainbow Chamber Orchestra and staged a stirring performance of the “Scent of a Woman” complete with a flash mob. Meanwhile, Florentia Village Chongqing collaborated with the emerging artist Ji Haotian to launch a special exhibition “Embrace Love with NI”, spreading love and healing energy to guests.

In addition to these exciting celebrations, Florentia Village Beijing-Tianjin and Florentia Village Guangzhou-Foshan presented dazzling dragon installations that caught both the eye and the imagination. Florentia Village Wuhan launched a spring market that offered an array of colorful activities. Visitors enjoyed sugar painting, clay sculptures, calligraphy, and more, enriching the Chinese New Year celebrations with added cultural depth.

With a surge in spending over the Chinese New Year holiday, Florentia Village has begun the year with remarkable results. Both sales and footfall have climbed steadily, achieving double-digit increases, and the registered membership has officially surpassed 4.9 million.

While all six villages have shown consistent growth, a few have stood out. Florentia Village Beijing-Tianjin is particularly notable with a nearly 50% increase in footfall and significant growth in sales. Florentia Village Shanghai follows closely behind, with a marked increase in footfall compared to last year. Florentia Village Chengdu also experienced an upswing in visitors during Chinese New Year, achieving double-digit growth in both sales and footfall.

Leveraging RDM Group’s extensive global retail presence, Florentia Village is more than simply a traditional shopping experience. It not only offers a wealth of international fashion and luxury brands but is also a destination for anyone seeking an urban micro-vacation, abound with the enchanting allure of Italy. Florentia Village boasts an upscale village portfolio spanning 500,000 square meters and hosting over 1,300 stores to date. As of January this year, the total membership of Florentia Village has exceeded 4.9 million.

In 2023, Florentia Village Beijing-Tianjin celebrated its 12th anniversary, marking a significant milestone. Florentia Village Shanghai supported two collaborations for a sustainable public welfare project themed “To Love, Together” contributing to children’s mental healthcare. Florentia Village Guangzhou-Foshan partnered with FM92.4, a local radio station, to host a Retro Motorcycle Party and an end-of-the-year ‘New Year with New “Meaning”‘ Italian Lifestyle Festival. Florentia Village Wuhan commemorated its 6th anniversary with the Italian Art Festival and Florentia Village Chongqing hosted the “CIAO! Fun Music Party”.

Florentia Village has focused on developing a retail-entertainment strategy with immersive cultural events and enriched shopping experiences for visitors. By embracing digital innovations such as the “Florentia Village outlet GO” mini-program, it has seamlessly connected online and offline retail ecosystems. This approach offers consumers enhanced convenience alongside high-quality and diverse omnichannel retail services, driving industry innovation. In 2023, Florentia Village delivered outstanding results, attracting over 25 million customers, with footfall increasing by nearly 30%, and sales exceeding 13 billion, representing a nearly 50% year-on-year increase in sales.

For years, Florentia Village has proven its steadfast optimism for the Chinese market, as it has dedicated itself to sustained investment and growth in the country. Looking ahead, Florentia Village is committed to redoubling its efforts. The company plans to introduce more exclusive and first-to-market brands from around the world to sharpen its competitive edge in terms of brand diversity, uniqueness, and appeal. The ambition is to elevate the shopping experience for every visitor, delivering superior products and services. By embodying the charm of the Italian lifestyle and offering a one-stop, high-quality shopping experience to more Chinese consumers, Florentia Village aims to pioneer a new concept of urban micro-vacation destinations.

ABOUT FLORENTIA VILLAGE

Florentia Village is China’s renowned international designer Village under the Italian real estate development group, RDM. Florentia Village was first launched in 2011 and currently has a total of 7 Villages across Greater China, located in Beijing–Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Wuhan, Chengdu and Chongqing. The Villages’ distinctive Italian architecture recalls Florence, Rome and the Renaissance Age by combining plazas, galleries, fountains and monumental buildings to deliver a one-of-a-kind shopping environment. Florentia Village carries more than 300 renowned brands from Europe, the United States and Asia at a year-round offering of up to 80% off.

Thanks to RDM’s extensive network of contacts within the global retail community, the storefronts are leased to the most prestigious luxury fashion brands in the world. To date, Florentia Village has achieved a combined total leasing area of 500,000m² with 1,300 total shops. As of January this year, the total membership of Florentia Village has exceeded 4.9 million. As the leading international designer Village in Asia, Florentia Village brings an unparalleled Italian style and shopping experience to the region.

Official Website: www.florentiavillage.com 

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SOURCE Florentia Village