Foreigners experience floating flower scented bottle DIY in Longgang, SE China's Shenzhen

（Photo provided to Guangming Online）

A unique international cultural exchange recently unfolded with warmth at the Dafen Art Museum in Shenzhen’s Longgang District. The DIY Floating Flower Scented Bottle Salon, co-organized by the Dafen Oil Painting Village Cultural Development Center and the Longgang International Communication Center, brought together over a dozen international friends based in Shenzhen and local English enthusiasts. Among the foreign participants were several “Longgang Global Storytellers,” hailing from Germany, Russia, Türkiye, Indonesia, and other countries. Together with local culture lovers, they spent an afternoon immersed in the subtle craft of “flowers in water,” touching the tangible warmth of an Eastern tradition through petals and scent.

（Photo provided to Guangming Online）

From Understanding the “No.1 Oil Painting Village” to Preserving “Flowers in Water”

The event began with an introduction to Dafen Oil Painting Village – known as “China’s No.1 Oil Painting Village” – detailing its artistic ecosystem and creative industry. From the birth of individual paintings to the growth of the entire art district, international guests gained a multifaceted understanding of Longgang as a land brimming with creativity. The hands-on session that followed was rooted in the traditional Chinese craft of “flowers in water.” Floating flower scented bottles, an ancient method of preserving botanicals, capture the most beautiful forms and colors of flowers and leaves without the need for soil or water.

（Photo provided to Guangming Online）

When Western Artistic Inspiration Meets Eastern Bottle Art

Guided step-by-step by a professional instructor, participants learned how to pair dried flowers, select essential oils, and master the technique of pouring mineral oil. The workshop also incorporated elements of art appreciation, with the instructor analyzing the color aesthetics and composition of masterpieces by artists like Van Gogh and Klimt, inspiring everyone to weave Western artistic inspiration into Eastern bottle art. “Putting the blue and yellow swirls of *Starry Night* into a bottle was a wonderful creative experience,” shared Emilia, a Global Storyteller from Germany. “It made me feel that beauty is universal, and Longgang is precisely the kind of city where different cultures can meet beautifully.”

（Photo provided to Guangming Online）

From a Handicraft to a Portable Memory of Longgang

The atmosphere was both warm and focused, filled with the delicate fragrance of essential oils and the joy of creation. Plain dried flowers were revived in everyone’s hands, gaining new life and narrative to become unique works of art. Notably, the activity infused the traditional craft with modern utility. The instructor systematically introduced the scents and benefits of various essential oils, transforming the floating flower vase from a serene decoration into a fragrant companion for daily life, capable of soothing moods and enhancing everyday moments. “For my bottle, I chose scents of cedar and citrus. It now sits on my office desk. Every time I see it and catch its fragrance, it reminds me of the wonderful experience at Dafen today,” said Kayan, a Storyteller from Türkiye.

（Photo provided to Guangming Online）

Letting Longgang’s Story Travel on the Scent

Many international participants expressed that this event allowed them to more tangibly experience the cultural vitality and artistic creativity of Longgang. They look forward to further exploring Dafen Oil Painting Village in the future and sharing its captivating stories with more people abroad. This salon, using flowers as its medium and scent as its verse, built an intangible cultural bridge within the confines of a glass bottle. It was not merely a display of traditional craftsmanship but a successful and heartfelt practice in international communication. Through the hands-on creation and personal immersion of the Global Storytellers, the cultural appeal of Shenzhen’s Longgang District and Dafen Oil Painting Village is now traveling further into the world, carried within each unique floating flower vase.

(By Zeng Ping)