Hainan Brings Indigenous Textiles, Coconut Carvings and Free-Trade Ambitions to Los Angeles
LAPost/LOS ANGELES, CA (May 12, 2026) – The scent of Hainan coffee drifted through the ballroom as guests leaned over display tables filled with woven Li brocade, coconut-shell carvings and handwoven grass crafts from China’s southernmost island province. What began as a trade forum quickly evolved into something more tactile: a cultural showcase designed to introduce Los Angeles not only to Hainan’s business ambitions, but also to the traditions shaping its identity.
Held alongside the 2026 China–California Business Forum in Los Angeles, the exhibition — themed “Mountains and Seas as the Medium, Intangible Heritage as the Bridge” — brought more than 60 pieces of Hainan intangible cultural heritage to Southern California. Organized by the Hainan delegation, the showcase blended diplomacy, commerce and cultural storytelling into a single presentation aimed at American business and community leaders.
Nearly 300 representatives from California’s business sector attended the forum, where Chinese Ambassador to the United States 谢锋 delivered remarks by video. Hainan Vice Governor 赵峰 and Chinese Consul General in Los Angeles 郭少春 also addressed attendees.
（Photo by: Richard Ren/LAPost)
But outside the formal speeches and economic discussions, much of the attention gathered around the exhibition floor itself.
Visitors stopped to examine Li textile patterns stitched in vivid geometric forms, while others ran their hands across bamboo weaving and Dongshan strawcraft. Artisans demonstrated coconut-shell collage work and traditional textile rubbing techniques, turning the exhibition into an interactive experience rather than a static display.
（Photo by: Richard Ren/LAPost)
The exhibition was jointly assembled by the Haikou Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection and Inheritance Association, local cultural centers across Hainan and heritage inheritors from different counties and cities on the island. The collection centered on four major craft traditions — Li brocade, coconut carving, bamboo and rattan weaving, and Dongshan straw weaving — all tied closely to Hainan’s tropical geography and ethnic heritage.
The presentation also reflected a broader effort by Hainan officials to position cultural heritage as part of the province’s expanding international profile.
（Photo by: Richard Ren/LAPost)
In his remarks at the forum, Zhao described Hainan as China’s only province entirely located in the tropical zone and emphasized its role as a gateway connecting China with Southeast Asia and the broader RCEP economic region. He noted that the island’s free trade port policies, including the launch of island-wide customs closure operations by the end of 2025, are intended to deepen international trade and investment ties.
（Photo by: Richard Ren/LAPost)
（Photo by: Richard Ren/LAPost)
Yet the softer side of that outreach was visible at the tasting tables nearby.
Guests sampled Hainan specialties including Fushan coffee, Xinglong-style heritage coffee, partridge tea and pandan-flavored pastries. Conversations moved easily between tourism, trade and food, with many attendees encountering Hainan culture for the first time through flavor and craft rather than policy language.
Hainan tourism official 符馨文 also presented the province’s tourism initiatives and cultural programs, highlighting Los Angeles as a potential gateway for expanding Hainan’s presence in the North American market.
（Photo by: Richard Ren/LAPost)
（Photo by: Richard Ren/LAPost)
As China’s southern island province continues promoting its free trade port ambitions abroad, the Los Angeles exhibition suggested that cultural diplomacy may become an increasingly important part of that strategy — using craft traditions, local food and heritage practices to build familiarity alongside economic partnerships.
