Professor Feng Zhao

Professor Feng Zhao is the dean of the School of Art and Archeology of Zhejiang University, and dean of the International Silk School of Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou.

He was the founder and director of the China National Silk Museum, Hangzhou (deputy director 1991-2010, director 2010-2022, honorary director 2022 until now). During his career, he studied the history of silk technology at the Zhejiang Silk Engineer Institute (Zhejiang Sci-Tech University today) in Hangzhou and got his MA degree in 1984. Then he studied the history of textiles at the China Textile University (Donghua University today) in Shanghai and got his PhD in 1997. He got the fellowship and did research at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for one year (1997-1998), at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto for two months in 1999, and at the British Museum in London in 2006. In 2000, he founded and became the director of the Chinese Center for Textile Identification and Conservation, which is now the Key Scientific Research Base of Textile Conservation of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China. In 2015, he founded the IASSRT, International Association for Study of the Silk Road Textiles, and became the president. Since 2015, he curated Silk Roads theme special exhibitions once a year. In 2019, he initiated Silk Road Week and Biennale of Natural Dyes, as well as founded the IIDOS, International Institute for Dialogues on the Silk Roads, at the China National Silk Museum. In 2022, he was elected as an Executive Board member of the ICOM, International Council of Museums. He also serves as a board member of CIETA, International Center for Study of Ancient Textiles, Lyon, vice president of the Chinese Museum Association, and a member of the National Cultural Heritage Committee, etc.