What would the West Lake look like if it was a giant seal pressed into the earth? Picture this: the vast, rippling water as its face, the winding causeways as its lines, the towering pagoda as its knob—and the shifting seasons of sun and rain as its ever-changing inkpad. These elements have long nurtured a profound seal-carving culture around the lake. On May 11, a rubbing experience exhibition with a twist—“Seal Impressions of West Lake: Belt and Road Graphic Seal Art Creation”—kicked off at The West Lake Museum.

The show is built around five areas: Chinese Markings, Asian Visions, Nile Inscriptions, European Impressions, and New World Totems. It brings together nearly 500 items, including 294 seals, 165 mounted seal prints, and more than 20 pieces or sets from the museum’s own collection. The exhibition runs through June 13.

Unlike traditional engraved seals, graphic seals blend iconic architecture, landscapes, notable figures, and literary or artistic symbols from different countries into the ancient Chinese art of seal carving. The result is a vivid, creative fusion of cultures.

“Text seals can hit a wall when it comes to cross-cultural communication—foreign friends who don’t know Chinese characters struggle to grasp the deeper meaning. But when you bring graphics into the mix, it becomes much more accessible,” said Ruan Jie, head of the graphic seal research project and a member of the Xiling Seal Engravers’ Society.

Up on the second floor of the museum, the temporary exhibition hall opens a door to the world of carved stones. The layout is thoughtfully arranged: each seal sits with an understated elegance, each mounted print radiates a quiet vitality.

Alongside beloved elements of traditional Chinese culture, the seal artists have woven in symbols from countries like Thailand and Singapore—all within the tiny span of a seal face. Step by step, vignette by vignette, visitors can take in stories from around the globe without ever leaving the shores of West Lake.

The exhibition is not only a key part of the West Lake Museum’s 2026 “International Museum Day” series but the inaugural show of its “West Lake Aesthetics” exhibition lineup.

“West Lake culture is profound. To mark this year’s International Museum Day, we teamed up with the Xiling Seal Engravers’ Society to put this exhibition together,” said Pan Cangsang, director of The West Lake Museum. “Seal Impressions of West Lake” draws deeply on the Society’s graphic seal art project, using the ancient form of the graphic seal to connect the many civilizations along the Belt and Road. By bridging seal art and the West Lake aesthetics with a rich variety of global cultural symbols, the exhibition invites visitors to read the world through the lens of the West Lake—and to spark dialogue and mutual understanding between cultures. Next up, the museum plans to organize more exhibitions concerning the Ten Scenes of the West Lake.