On 16 September 2026, the 2026 "Reviving Craft — Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Design" exhibition ("Reviving Craft"), organised by Sun Media Group, opened at Somerset House in London, UK. Under the theme "Reflection of the Mind" and rooted in the philosophical core of Chinese Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism, the exhibition is arranged into three thematic sections: "Clear the Mind", "Refine the Mind" and "Nourish the Mind". BYD, together with its premium brand DENZA, has created a dedicated exhibition area that weaves millennium-old cultural heritage craftsmanship into automotive design language, bringing traditional technical artistry into vivid dialogue with modern industry.
As China's first premium brand dedicated to new-energy vehicles, DENZA was founded in 2010 as a joint venture between BYD and Mercedes-Benz. Over the years, it has pursued a full-vehicle intelligence strategy to build a complete line-up spanning sports cars, SUVs, sedans and MPVs, delivering a superior premium mobility experience for the discerning elites of our time. Just as traditional craftsmanship is perfected through the trial of time, DENZA is pushing the boundaries of luxury through technology and artisanal dedication. For this exhibition, DENZA collaborated closely with intangible cultural heritage masters, embedding bamboo-weave textures into wheel design, sculpting its brand emblem in lacquer, and stitching Canton Embroidery into the cabin interior — allowing Eastern craftsmanship, refined over a thousand years, and modern new-energy technology to elevate one another within the exhibition space.
Featured in the exhibition area, BYD · Vast Visions of Lacquered Arcs is a joint creation by Chen Liyu and Chen Pengyu, fifth-generation inheritors of the Yewang Zhuxi lacquerware craft. The work innovatively applies five traditional biantú (lacquer transformation) techniques — zhangxiu, youdi, zhaojin, xipi and inlay — to offer a comprehensive artistic reinterpretation of DENZA's signature twin-arc emblem. Through numerous intricate lacquering processes and meticulous finishing, the piece achieves five richly layered textures: flowing clouds, molten gold, falling vermillion, ink-wash and emerald mist. As light and shadow shift across the surface, its texture appears to transform with fluid vitality, turning the warm, time-honoured character of traditional lacquer into a distinctive visual symbol of DENZA's new-luxury brand.
BYD · Splendid Stitches in Cabin, crafted by Liang Xiaoman, sixth-generation inheritor of Canton Embroidery, brings the millennium-old, exquisite needlework of Lingnan Canton Embroidery into DENZA's leather seats and armrest interiors. Thousands of intertwined coloured threads rise and fall in rhythm, capturing the landscapes and refined culture of Lingnan within the smallest of stitches. The result is a seamless union of traditional embroidery and modern automotive interior materials, showcasing to the fullest the warm, delicate, refined and luxurious character of DENZA's cabin.
BYD · Weave of Speed, created by fibre artist Zhang Haoxin, reconstructs the balance between industrial and natural aesthetics by embedding the fluid, organic texture of bamboo weaving into the structural design of the wheel. The high-performance character of industrial form merges with the humanistic rhythm of traditional bamboo weaving, lending warmth and craftsmanship to what is otherwise a cold industrial object, a vivid expression of the Eastern cultural spirit that underlies the speed of new-energy mobility.
Honouring craftsmanship with craftsmanship, DENZA's participation in the London exhibition moves beyond conventional definitions of opulence. By infusing every detail of its new-energy products with the depth of time embodied in intangible cultural heritage and the uncompromising spirit of traditional craftsmanship, DENZA is revealing to the world the cultural depth and design confidence of a Chinese new-energy premium brand. At the intersection of tradition and modernity, DENZA is writing a new chapter of elegance for our time.
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