For October, we’re summoning the synergy between algorithms and ancient systems. It’s tech meets tradition, spirituality, and the youth’s renewed fascination with fate, myth, and lore.
NEWSLETTER
Get weekly top picks and exclusive, newsletter only content delivered straight to you inbox.
Comment “RADII” below to join our newsletter and never miss content like this again.
If you squint, doesn’t this look like neon-lit, dystopian street furniture straight out of Blade Runner? Well, we can tell you that it‘s definitely not AI-generated or concept art. In fact, it’s a beaded lantern, or 珠灯 (zhū dēng), a traditional Chinese craft popularized in the Qing dynasty and recognized as intangible cultural heritage in 2009.
These lanterns are made by threading glass, jade, and other precious stone beads onto bamboo and twine, often built up in multiple layers. The patterns change with the occasion, but most feature auspicious imagery like birds and flowers, and sometimes even words. Larger lanterns are often made up of smaller ones that encircle a central body, and when lit, they cast intricate, dancing shadows.
One of the largest in China is located in Wuxian Temple (五显庙), Zhejiang Province. Made over 300 years ago, it stands more than 4 meters tall, with layer upon layer of beads. But because it’s so fragile, it isn’t always on display, so seeing it lit up in person is a rare occasion, especially as the art of making these lanterns is gradually being lost to time.
Follow @radii_media for more
#radii #radiimedia #chineseheritage #lantern #intangibleculturalheritage
Comment “RADII” below to join our newsletter and never miss content like this again.
If you squint, doesn’t this look like neon-lit, dystopian street furniture straight out of Blade Runner? Well, we can tell you that it‘s definitely not AI-generated or concept art. In fact, it’s a beaded lantern, or 珠灯 (zhū dēng), a traditional Chinese craft popularized in the Qing dynasty and recognized as intangible cultural heritage in 2009.
These lanterns are made by threading glass, jade, and other precious stone beads onto bamboo and twine, often built up in multiple layers. The patterns change with the occasion, but most feature auspicious imagery like birds and flowers, and sometimes even words. Larger lanterns are often made up of smaller ones that encircle a central body, and when lit, they cast intricate, dancing shadows.
One of the largest in China is located in Wuxian Temple (五显庙), Zhejiang Province. Made over 300 years ago, it stands more than 4 meters tall, with layer upon layer of beads. But because it’s so fragile, it isn’t always on display, so seeing it lit up in person is a rare occasion, especially as the art of making these lanterns is gradually being lost to time.
Follow @radii_media for more
#radii #radiimedia #chineseheritage #lantern #intangibleculturalheritage
...
Comment “RADII” below to join our newsletter and never miss content like this again.
What if a Tamagotchi could tell your fortune? These tiny keychain-sized oracles do exactly that, rolling fortune-telling and everyday blessings into one cyberpunk gadget you can clip to your bag with a Chinese knot. Bored, or stuck on a decision? Give it a press and let it weigh in. These gadgets have been compared to a 锦囊 (jǐn náng), a brocade pouch carried at the belt in ancient China to hold small valuables and fragrant herbs. But now, they are a fun cyberpunk bag charm.
It’s a long way from carving fortunes into turtle shells over 3,000 years ago, and you have to wonder if anyone back then saw this coming.
Follow @radii_media for more and click the link in bio to read the full story.
#radii #radiimedia #cyberpunk #fortunetelling #chinesetrends
Comment “RADII” below to join our newsletter and never miss content like this again.
What if a Tamagotchi could tell your fortune? These tiny keychain-sized oracles do exactly that, rolling fortune-telling and everyday blessings into one cyberpunk gadget you can clip to your bag with a Chinese knot. Bored, or stuck on a decision? Give it a press and let it weigh in. These gadgets have been compared to a 锦囊 (jǐn náng), a brocade pouch carried at the belt in ancient China to hold small valuables and fragrant herbs. But now, they are a fun cyberpunk bag charm.
It’s a long way from carving fortunes into turtle shells over 3,000 years ago, and you have to wonder if anyone back then saw this coming.
Follow @radii_media for more and click the link in bio to read the full story.
#radii #radiimedia #cyberpunk #fortunetelling #chinesetrends
...
Comment “RADII” below to join our newsletter and never miss content like this again.
You probably know Sichuan opera’s famous face-changing act, but did you know Chinese opera has a spooky side too? Many classic stories are built on tragedy and revenge, so zombies, spirits, and mythical creatures turn up on stage.
Take the Paper Man (纸人, zhǐ rén), a ”spirit being“ character inspired by the traditional Chinese funeral practice of burning paper items (纸扎 zhǐ zhā ) as offerings to loved ones in the afterlife, in which a performer with a white-painted face moves in an uncanny, puppet-like motion. Then there’s the Zombie Fall (僵尸摔, jiāng shī shuāi), where an actor collapses backward to mimic sudden death, and the Ghost Steps (鬼步, guǐ bù), where performers take tiny steps beneath long garments so they appear to glide across the stage just like a ghost.
As the saying goes, “One minute on stage is ten years of practice off stage” (台上一分钟，台下十年功). These tricks are great visuals, but they’re also a showcase of years of dedication and body control.
Scared already? Swipe to see them in action!
Follow @radii_media for more
#radii #radiimedia #chineseopera #sichuanopera #spookyseason
Comment “RADII” below to join our newsletter and never miss content like this again.
You probably know Sichuan opera’s famous face-changing act, but did you know Chinese opera has a spooky side too? Many classic stories are built on tragedy and revenge, so zombies, spirits, and mythical creatures turn up on stage.
Take the Paper Man (纸人, zhǐ rén), a ”spirit being“ character inspired by the traditional Chinese funeral practice of burning paper items (纸扎 zhǐ zhā ) as offerings to loved ones in the afterlife, in which a performer with a white-painted face moves in an uncanny, puppet-like motion. Then there’s the Zombie Fall (僵尸摔, jiāng shī shuāi), where an actor collapses backward to mimic sudden death, and the Ghost Steps (鬼步, guǐ bù), where performers take tiny steps beneath long garments so they appear to glide across the stage just like a ghost.
As the saying goes, “One minute on stage is ten years of practice off stage” (台上一分钟，台下十年功). These tricks are great visuals, but they’re also a showcase of years of dedication and body control.
Scared already? Swipe to see them in action!
Follow @radii_media for more
#radii #radiimedia #chineseopera #sichuanopera #spookyseason
...
Comment “RADII” below to join our newsletter and never miss content like this again.
You’ve seen it in anime: that one stubborn strand of hair sticking straight up from a character’s head. In Japan it’s called “ahoge.” In China, young people — namely Gen Alpha — are calling it 呆毛 (dāi máo), or “dopey hair,” and they’re styling it on purpose.
With strict dress codes in many Chinese schools, subtle haircut tweaks are often one of the few ways students can express themselves. For many Gen Z girls, their school years were defined by the catfish whiskers haircut (鲶鱼须, nián yú xū), with hair tied up and two strands left loose on either side. Now, dopey hair is taking over, and creators on Xiaohongshu and Douyin are already sharing tutorials. Although there’s an art to it: too flat and it disappears, too stiff and it loses its whimsy.
Would you rock a dāi máo? Comment below, and click the link in bio to read the full story.
Follow @radii_media for more
#radii #radiimedia #hairstyle #genalpha #chinesetrends
Comment “RADII” below to join our newsletter and never miss content like this again.
You’ve seen it in anime: that one stubborn strand of hair sticking straight up from a character’s head. In Japan it’s called “ahoge.” In China, young people — namely Gen Alpha — are calling it 呆毛 (dāi máo), or “dopey hair,” and they’re styling it on purpose.
With strict dress codes in many Chinese schools, subtle haircut tweaks are often one of the few ways students can express themselves. For many Gen Z girls, their school years were defined by the catfish whiskers haircut (鲶鱼须, nián yú xū), with hair tied up and two strands left loose on either side. Now, dopey hair is taking over, and creators on Xiaohongshu and Douyin are already sharing tutorials. Although there’s an art to it: too flat and it disappears, too stiff and it loses its whimsy.
Would you rock a dāi máo? Comment below, and click the link in bio to read the full story.
Follow @radii_media for more
#radii #radiimedia #hairstyle #genalpha #chinesetrends
...
Apparently, this is what happens to the Temple of Heaven after all the tourists go home: it turns into a transformer…
Credit: NEO蜀黍
#radii #radiimedia #templeofheaven #toys #mecha
Apparently, this is what happens to the Temple of Heaven after all the tourists go home: it turns into a transformer…
Credit: NEO蜀黍
#radii #radiimedia #templeofheaven #toys #mecha
...
NEWSLETTER
Get weekly top picks and exclusive, newsletter only content delivered straight to you inbox.
