Medical masks printed with the slogan of "Hometown Henan" which is familiar to all have been transported to cultural activities in Uruguay and Cambodia. During the cultural activities held in these countries, the medical masks designed by Chen Chen from Changyuan of Henan province have enjoyed great popularity.

A medical mask designed by Chen Chen. [Photo/dahe.cn]

Chen Chen, born after 1985 in Changyuan, became a permanent resident of Italy in 2016. Living abroad, he constantly explore Chinese traditions and the roots of Chinese culture, integrating Chinese culture and Western art with creativity.

During the COVID-19 in 2020, Chen Chen and his wife decided to stay in Changyuan to help their father run his business. During this period, he got the new ideas to endow the medical masks more cultural connotations apart from its nature as commodities.

"The first batch of innovated medical masks with the elements of ancient Chinese characters were officially sent to Uruguay and Cambodia, well received locally," said Chen Chen proudly. Some organizers even contacted Chen Chen to customize some similar masks, which strengthened his determination.

Over the past two years, Chen Chen has skillfully combined Chinese characters, urban culture and intangible heritages to show Chinese culture to the world and make it more appealing through "masks".

Recently, Chen Chen has been working on his new series with the elements of traditional Chinese medicine and urban culture, promoting Chinese culture to the world with his practices. (Chinese source: dahe.cn Reporter: Zhu Liwen Translator: Zhao Hanqing Proofreader: Jiao Dan)