Liu Feng's collection of old Jingdezhen tea sets and the old locks (below) he bought while traveling in Nepal. Photos Provided to China Daily

An incense burner, a work from Zhang Huimin and Zhang Bin, is created with recycled parts from an old camera and a piece of wood.

Six Chinese artists collect remnants of the past to create designs with staying power, Chen Nan reports.

It may seem ridiculous to spend thousands of dollars on collecting some old-fashioned, outdated, even broken items, ranging from tiny iron keys to huge ceramic pots. However, six cutting-edge young Chinese designers have a special love for collecting such relics of the past. Finding beauty in old things keeps them inspired in their own work.

The six designers have pooled their hoards to display some of their favorite collections in Beijing, for a one-day show on July 14.

Zhang Huimin and her husband, Zhang Bin, contribute old items like an incense burner, a ceramic pot and an animal fossil to share with the audience.

Zhang Huimin, a graduate of China Central Academy of Fine Arts in product design, has a passion for items from ancient times, which inspired her own jewelry brand 0322 (the couple's wedding date) in 2008. Her husband also loves handcrafts and creating something new based on the old.

When Zhang bought a piece of animal fossil early this year from Northeast China, at the price of 1,000 yuan ($157), she put it on a shelf at home but also researched the piece and recycled it into a new object.

Her studio has lots of equipment that allows the couple to make things themselves. After testing the density and tenacity of the bone, they changed it into a pen container by cutting and grinding it down to size.

To create the incense burner the duo will bring to the show, they combined an old camera and a piece of wood.

"My husband uses incense burners to cure his headaches, which raised our interest. When we decided to create one ourselves, we remembered an old camera we collected several years ago," she says.

The combination gives a modern twist to the incense burner, which is usually classical and traditional.

"I love going to second-hand markets or flea markets much more than shopping for clothes and shoes. Now my house is like a dump because I buy those old items all the time," she smiles.

"Those old items stay around for so long, but I can't bear to throw them away. Though their style or function are outdated, their fabrics are really nice. All they need is a good makeover and a great idea to give them a new life," she says.

The couple's brand reflects their love for old things, with a theme of antiquity and the future.

The work was among the finalists for the China Contemporary Design Exhibition 2009 and was collected by Beijing's Today Art Museum. A representative work series was on display in the Asia Now exhibition in Los Angeles.

"Old items are just like people's memories, which bear history and stories," she says.

Another artist in the show, crossover designer Liu Feng, 34, fell in love with old things because of a bicycle he bought when he was 20. Liu found the bike's design was practical - particularly the elliptical, not round, shape of the chain's gear wheel, which saved lots of energy for the rider.

At the upcoming event, Liu will also bring six old locks he bought when traveling in Nepal this February and an iron tea set he bought in Japan in October.

"It was love at first sight with the locks and tea set, which were over a hundred years old, though each of them cost nearly 10,000 yuan," Liu says.

A sculpture graduate of the Academy of Art & Design, Tsinghua University, Liu has a particular love for iron and bronze. "They could grow rusty and oxidized, but in my eyes they are beautiful with those changes," says Liu.

As one of the founders of China Furniture Design Brand Alliance, Liu has united several Chinese contemporary designers who seek fresh and more relaxed perspectives on Chinese design.

"Some new designs cannot go through the test of time. But the old items are timeless in terms of their designs and functions," Liu says.

Sun Wentao agrees. "Unlike today's designs, which lack personality, the old things represent history and the designers' creative ideas," says Sun, another Tsinghua graduate in sculpture.

Drawn by romance and nostalgia, Sun loves collecting keys with European and traditional Chinese styles.

He likes visiting old locksmiths and key makers to seek unique keys. Some 59 keys will be shown at the event to show Sun's interpretations of these objects.

"For me, a key opens something, which means opening hope and unexpected things. It's very mysterious and has a sense of privacy," he says.

He also employs the abandoned keys in his designs, using keys as the chain heads in leather coat designing.

"The touch between metal keys and human skins is very sensitive. The temperature of a human body could be passed to the key, which creates a kind of connection," he says.

Other designers, including Xiao Tianyu and Wei Minghui, will also share their favorite collections with the audiences at the event.

The event is in Chinese and English. Audiences are also invited to bring their own collections to the event and share their stories.

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 07/08/2012 page15)