Chinese New Year 2025 – The Chinese artist He Xia reinterprets the Serie Up x Year of the Snake

B&B Italia celebrates the Year of the Snake with a striking reinterpretation of the iconic Gaetano Pesce ’s Serie Up for B&B Italia by He Xia. 
Inspired by traditional Chinese New Year hanging signs, the artistic work features a fish decoration on top and a central gold background with a Ru Yi cut-out. The fish decoration is a common symbol in Chinese culture, representing "abundance every year" due to the homophony between the word for "fish" (鱼) and "abundance" (余) in Chinese. This detail adds a sense of prosperity and good wishes to the design. At the center, the gold background reinforces the theme of wealth and nobility, serving as the backdrop for the Ru Yi (如意) cut-out. The phrase "Ru Yi" means "as you wish" or "auspicious", a traditional element in Chinese New Year decorations symbolizing harmony and fulfillment. To further elevate this symbolic composition, the brand name "B&B Italia" is used to decorate "Ru Yi", seamlessly blending cultural heritage with contemporary design. Wrapped in a golden serpent, the chair’s sinuous lines echo the wisdom and renewal associated with the snake in Chinese culture. A powerful symbol of transformation, this vibrant interpretation of Serie Up bridges design and heritage, inviting a new perspective on evolution and self-discovery.
A refined balance of color, form, and meaning, the background layer brings tradition and modernity together, embodying the essence of prosperity, renewal, and elegance.

Credits：

剪纸艺术家 Artisan：何霞HE Xia
摄影Photographer: 严玉峰 Yan Yufeng
美术 Art Director：Shawn Ma

About He Xia

He Xia is the municipal inheritor of Pingliang paper-cutting, an intangible cultural heritage. Her artistic career and works not only demonstrate the exquisite traditional paper-cutting skills but also reflect the inheritance and innovation of intangible cultural heritage.
He Xia was born in Pingliang, Gansu Province. From a young age, she was immersed in the paper-cutting and embroidery skills of her grandmother and mother, laying a solid foundation in paper-cutting. Her artistic journey began with a love for the local folk culture. Pingliang paper-cutting is rooted in local folk culture and has been passed down with the development of folk activities, accumulating the ancient aesthetic views and thinking consciousness of the Chinese nation, serving as a microcosm of a thousand years of historical culture.
He Xia's paper-cutting works have won numerous prestigious awards. She has been honored with titles such as "Gansu Provincial Master of Arts and Crafts" and "Top Ten Pingliang Literary and Art Workers," and her works and contributions have received widespread recognition.