The exhibition “Helveticana – Swiss Material Culture in Motion,” presented in collaboration by the Embassy of Switzerland in China and M WOODS Museum, officially opened at M WOODS, Beijing, on April 30th, 2026. Krystyna Marty Lang, Ambassador of Switzerland to China, Lin Han, founder of M WOODS Museum, Caspar Schweizer, the exhibition curator, as well as guests from Sino-Swiss cultural, art, and design sectors attended the opening ceremony. The exhibition offers a unique perspective on 20th-century Swiss life through garments and gear, opening a new window for audiences to understand Switzerland.

Titled ‘Helveticana’, the exhibition is structured around three chapters: alpine terrain, national infrastructure and cultures of movement. From the Souvenir Sport Archive in Zurich, Switzerland, the exhibition brings together over 100 objects spanning from the 1930s to the 1990s, including alpine protective systems, institutional uniforms, and sportswear embedded in schools, clubs, and international competitions. The exhibits reflect how everyday life in Switzerland was shaped by landscape, labour, and leisure, tracing the ways in which Swiss identity emerged through material, function, and design.

Rather than approaching them as fashion and vintage clothing, the exhibition frames these garments and systems as carriers of knowledge shaped by environmental conditions, institutional structures and technological change. It highlights an approach to innovation rooted in continuous refinement and practical application, showing how Switzerland consistently responded to real-world needs through materials and craftsmanship rather than through fleeting stylistic changes. This reflects a Swiss design tradition of precision, reliability, and a long-term orientation toward durability and use.

Spread across three floors of M WOODS Beijing, the exhibition creates a multi-dimensional experience through objects, moving images, and a reading room. Visitors can explore the development of Swiss material culture and also participate in an interactive installation, sharing their own daily or sports outfits as part of an evolving cross-cultural visual archive.

At the opening, Ambassador Marty Lang stated, ‘Switzerland and China both have strong traditions of craftsmanship and manufacturing intelligence. Through this dialogue between our two cultures, we invite reflection on how societies shape modern life through design, and how past solutions can inform future development.’ Lin Han, founder of the museum, noted, ‘as contemporary design and manufacturing increasingly focus on sustainability and long-term responsibility, Swiss material culture offers a historically grounded point of reference.’

The ‘Helveticana’ exhibition provides a distinctive way for Chinese audiences to understand Swiss society and culture. It is now open at M WOODS Museum (Beijing) and will run until July 19th, 2026.