Visitors to January's Maison & Objet in Paris were able to step into a world of elegance and tradition at The Zhai ("house" in Chinese), an exhibition that opened a time-space portal to the water towns of Jiangnan (the region south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River) through the lens of its handicrafts.

Living testaments of the millennium-old knowledge and craftsmanship passed down by the artisans of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, traditional Chinese craft has now been placed center stage at the renowned international platform.

Based on themes such as "city", "intangible cultural heritage" and "handicraft", The Zhai opened its doors at this year's edition of Maison& Objet Paris between Jan 18 and 22 with a glittering showcase of over 200 time-honored Suzhou crafts.

The museum-style exhibition, which was the first project in a series called "The Zhai", is designed to serve as a dynamic platform for cultural exchange between China and France. It revolves around the concept of "city, home and objects", and makes use of a partner city — with Suzhou as the first — as its starting point.

Maison & Objet Paris is one of the three premier trade show expos in Europe, and is celebrating its 30th anniversary by embracing the theme of "Tech Eden", which addresses the fusion of design and sustainable development in response to technology and the challenges of environmental conservation.

The project responded to this theme by highlighting the harmony between humans and nature, drawing inspiration from the traditional Chinese philosophy of the "unity of heaven and humanity" embedded in traditional craftsmanship, as a way of illustrating Chinese thinking on such matters for future development.