From London to Edinburgh: Monica Yan and CQ's 2026 Cultural Vision

From London to Edinburgh: CQ's 2026 Cultural Vision - Intangible Heritage Jewellery Series "Between People" Debuts Across Academic and Public Stages

LONDON, MIDLOTHIAN, UNITED KINGDOM, May 22, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- From London to Edinburgh: Monica Yan and CQ's 2026 Cultural Vision - Intangible Heritage Jewellery Series "Between People" Debuts Across Academic and Public Stages

The contemporary fabric jewellery series Between People is entering a new phase of international visibility. Created by cross-cultural practitioner and CQ London founder Monica Yan, the series draws on traditional Pankou craft to explore how human relationships leave traces on the body and in the imagination.


Intangible Heritage in an Academic Context

In April 2026, Monica was invited to deliver a guest lecture at Queen Mary University of London, presenting to students from across the world on the theme of contemporary innovation within Chinese intangible cultural heritage — one of the first instances of this practice entering a Western university classroom not as cultural content, but as methodology.

Building on this, from 1–2 June 2026, works from Between People will be exhibited at the FIVE LEAF Conference on Law and Aesthetics, hosted by the Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS) at Queen Mary University of London. The conference brings together scholars and practitioners from the UK, Europe, North America, Australia and Scandinavia, across five fields: fashion and luxury, film and photography, theatre and performing arts, live art, and architecture and culture.

The works will be included in the official conference catalogue, with potential publication through Routledge. This marks the first time Between People enters a formal academic context — not as cultural display, but as a reflective body of work engaging questions of intimacy, aesthetics, and the limits of standardisation.


August, Edinburgh: Intangible Heritage at the World's Largest Arts Festival

In August 2026, Monica will serve as curator of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) section within Chinese Culture Week at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with the programme powered by CQ London.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is one of the largest arts festivals in the world. The inclusion of a dedicated ICH strand within Chinese Culture Week represents a significant shift: Chinese intangible heritage presented not in an exhibition context, but within a global public arts forum — in dialogue with contemporary practice from around the world.


About Monica Yan and CQ London

Monica Yan is a cross-cultural practitioner and creative with over a decade of experience working between Chinese and Western cultural contexts. She holds two master's degrees from University College London (UCL) and University of Westminster, built her early career at the intersection of European and Asian high-end industries — serving clients across finance, law, diplomacy and culture — before redirecting that network toward long-term cultural practice.

Since 2016, she has worked with Chinese dance, traditional dress and intangible heritage craft to explore how Chinese aesthetics can enter Western life not as cultural spectacle, but as genuine emotional common ground.

CQ London, her qipao culture brand, has appeared at London Fashion Week in 2024 and 2025, and London Craft Week in 2026 — the only Chinese qipao brand to have done so across all three platforms.

Monica Yan
CQ London
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