Xinjiang Museum wins three IAI international design awards

Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Yin Lu) news: On March 18, 2026, the winners of the 18th IAI Global Design Award were announced. The Xinjiang Museum received three awards for two projects.

File photo shows cultural and creative products from the "Millennium Melody of Strings, Breeze Rising from Qiuci — Dream of a Millennium & Encounter with Qiuci Series Cultural and Museum Derivative Design."

The design for "Five Stars Rise in the East Cultural and Creative Products and Art Installation" won a gold award and a best commercial transformation award. It draws inspiration from the Xinjiang Museum's prized collection: a Han dynasty brocade arm guard bearing the inscription "Five Stars Rise in the East, Benefiting China," unearthed in 1995 at the Niya site in Minfeng County, Hotan Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang. The cultural products derived from this design include hundreds of items across categories like lifestyle goods, office supplies, and trendy toys. By thoroughly exploring the artifact's cultural significance and applying innovative modern design, the product line gained market recognition within two years of its release.

The design team further pioneered a new approach by linking these cultural products with the museum's spatial art. They created a dynamic art installation centered on the "Five Stars" motif. Its rotating structure symbolizes the "cycle of celestial movements," skillfully weaving ancient astronomical concepts and auspicious symbolism into the museum's visitor pathway. This allows the historical artifact to resonate with contemporary aesthetics and connect with visitors on an emotional level. The award for Best Commercial Transformation underscores how this project meets the IAI's criteria for blending "innovation, functionality, economic viability, and social value."

File photo shows a display of cultural and creative products from the Xinjiang Museum's "Five Stars Rise in the East Cultural and Creative Products and Art Installation Design" in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The second project, called "Millennium Melody of Strings," won a silver award. It was a collaboration between the Xinjiang Museum and the Kuqa Museum. The designs take inspiration from artifacts in the Kuqa Museum and from scenes, patterns, and colors found in the Kizil Caves and the streets of Kuqa City. The result is a series of cultural products that connect history with modern life.

"This is the first time cultural and creative products from Xinjiang's museums have won international design awards. It marks the entry of Xinjiang's cultural and museum design into the global arena and highlights the significant potential of Xinjiang's cultural heritage for contemporary design transformation," said Guan Yi, Head of the Cultural and Creative Department at the Xinjiang Museum.

Currently, Xinjiang is home to 9,542 immovable cultural relics, including ancient ruins, tombs, buildings, cave temples, and stone inscriptions. Its museums house approximately 450,000 movable cultural relics (items), such as pottery, textiles, metalware, paintings, calligraphy, paper documents, and wooden slips. This wealth of resources provides a broad foundation for the creative transformation and innovative development of cultural heritage.

The design firm behind both award-winning projects is Xinjiang Jingsheng Wanwu Culture Media Co., Ltd. "Winning these awards is a significant recognition of the collaborative innovation between Xinjiang's cultural institutions and design firms, and of its success in commercial application. We will continue to focus on revitalizing cultural relics and bringing to life cultural products that are meaningful, resonant, and creative," said Cui Yang, the company's general manager.

File photo shows the "Five Stars Rise in the East Cultural and Creative Products and Art Installation Design" on display in the cultural and creative section of the Xinjiang Museum in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The IAI Global Design Award was founded in 2006 by the Asia-Pacific Designers Federation. It is an internationally recognized platform spanning design disciplines such as architecture, interior design, product design, landscape design, cultural creativity, and carbon neutrality. Guided by the principle of "re-evaluating the value of design, defining the future form," the award seeks to discover, honor, and promote outstanding design works worldwide.

By 2025, the IAI had received nearly 20,000 entries from over 30 countries. In this edition, 1,531 entries from nearly 20 countries and regions were submitted, with the number of winners strictly limited to within 15 percent of the total entries.

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