Chinese Culture Center Opens At Hamburg Yuyuan Garden

Credit: Ti Gong

Caption: German visitors examine handmade craft items at a workshop table at the Hamburg Yuyuan Garden.

A Chinese intangible cultural heritage experience center officially opened at Hamburg Yuyuan Garden in Germany on Thursday.

The new center provides a permanent platform in Europe for visitors to experience traditional Chinese culture and craftsmanship.

The launch coincides with the 40th anniversary of sister city relations between Shanghai and Hamburg.

Visitors joined interactive workshops featuring tea art demonstrations, herbal sachets from the old Shanghai pharmacy Tonghanchuntang, Pear Syrup Candy, a traditional Shanghai sweet made from pear juice and herbs, Five-Spice Beans, a local snack of dried broad beans seasoned with spices, and calligraphy painted on lacquer fans.

Credit: Ti Gong

Caption: German visitors examine handmade craft items at a workshop table at the Hamburg Yuyuan Garden.

Exhibits also displayed traditional craftsmanship applied to modern products. Featured items included watches from the century-old Shanghai Watch brand, eyewear from the Red Star optical brand, Jing Fans, a Chinese folding fan maker known for hand-painted designs, and elements from the Yuyuan Lantern Festival, a national-level intangible cultural heritage project.

Shanghai gifted the replica garden to Hamburg in 2008 to anchor cultural ties between the two port cities. The complex features classic Jiangnan (regions in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River) garden architecture, including a Mid-Lake Pavilion and a Zigzag Bridge.

Designers adapted the site for European visitors by using an open layout instead of enclosed perimeter walls.

Credit: Ti Gong

Caption: Chinese and German officials jointly launch the Yuyuan – Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage Overseas Experience Center beneath the entrance gate of Hamburg Yuyuan Garden.

The new center will host regular workshops, exhibitions, and folk performances. It serves as an ongoing hub for cultural exchanges between China and Europe, moving beyond one-time displays toward lasting, hands-on programs.

Yuyuan Inc holds more than 20 intangible cultural heritage projects and 19 China time-honored brands.

The company plans further cultural events tied to the Hamburg center in 2027, the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Germany. It also invites German and other European heritage projects to visit its garden in Shanghai.