"Golden Fortunes: The Macao Debut of Zhu Bingren's Copper Art" has opened in Macao, presenting a landmark father-and-son collaboration that honors both the rich heritage and the innovative future of Chinese copper craftsmanship.
"Golden Horse"
The exhibition brings together 68 representative works (including sets) by Zhu Bingren — the pioneering founder of molten-copper art and a Master of Chinese Arts and Crafts — and his son Zhu Junmin, a national-level inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of copper-sculpture techniques and a Zhejiang Province Master of Arts and Crafts. Together they show how an ancient material can be reborn with contemporary vitality.
For millennia, copper has been cast with wishes for auspiciousness and shaped into both ritual objects and items of daily life. Building on a century-old family tradition, Zhu Bingren expanded the boundaries of copper art. He inherited and developed eight major techniques, including the signature Gengcai coloring process, and through his technical innovations transformed copper from primarily architectural and sculptural applications into a living aesthetic for modern life. His guiding philosophy of "flowing colors" fuses ancient methods with new forms to create works that reflect both history and modernity.
"Elegant Feathers" Photos courtesy of the organizers
Zhu Junmin, the fifth-generation successor of the time-honored Zhu Fu copper-art tradition, continues this mission. As a national representative inheritor and senior craft master, he founded the ZBRON brand and champions "bringing copper back into everyday life." By integrating traditional techniques with contemporary design, he has produced refined home décor and cultural-creative products that make copper art more accessible to the public.
The exhibition is organized into five thematic sections and showcases a wide range of forms: cast copper horse sculptures, state ceremonial gifts, large-scale copper murals, and more. Highlights include the two-meter gilded sculpture "Golden Horse"; the 4.65-meter copper mural "Confluence of Three Rivers"; and standout pieces such as the peacock sculpture "Elegant Feathers," the "Gengcai Copper Vase" series, and the "Sunflowers in Bloom" molten-copper offering. Together they create an immersive space of Eastern aesthetics.
Dates: Until April 12
Venue: Galaxy Art, 1/F, Galaxy Promenade, Galaxy Macao (澳门银河时尚汇1楼银河艺萃)
