When Johnny K. Wu modeled his first piece of Chinese armor last year at the Cleveland Asian Festival, the filmmaker and festival founder was struck by how many people mistook it for Japanese Samurai gear.

"Two years ago, I bought my first armor, which [cost more than] $1,000—a silver one that we premiered last year at Cleveland Asian Festival," Wu recalls. “I noticed lots of people kept telling me, ‘This is Samurai armor.’ This is Chinese armor and predates the Samurai armor. So I had to educate everybody like crazy."

Julie Simon in 7th Century Chinese armor.That moment of cultural confusion sparked an idea that has now grown into the Silk Road Cultural Collective—a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and sharing Asian and Eurasian cultural heritages through immersive performance, education, community engagement, and interactive cultural experiences.

Wu joined with Dan Hanson, founder and CEO of Magnum Computers, Inc., director of the Cleveland Speakers Bureau, and webmaster of ClevelandPeople.com, and Annie Ying Pu, founder and publisher of the Erie Chinese Journal, distributed to 5,000 readers throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania,

The three board members have the mission of bringing the history of ancient trade routes to life and educating the public on diverse cultures along historic trade routes.

The first experience with the armor last year was both exhausting and enlightening for Wu, who recalls the first time he wore the 28-pound authentic armor and the number of people who insisted that it was Samurai armor. "I’d just say, ‘this is Chinese from the Tang dynasty—and this is all real,’” he says. “So then they had to touch it and feel it. They were very, very impressed."

Personal passion becomes cultural mission
Wu's passion for Chinese cultural history evolved after Hanson approached him about expanding the concept beyond just Chinese culture.

"He came up with an idea that we do [focus on the] culture involving the Silk Road,” Wu says. “I did a lot of research, and I found out Silk Roads involved over 40 different countries."

The historical scope of Silk Road Cultural Collective’s mission is ambitious, covering trade routes that connect civilizations over a long period of time. "We're talking about the 5th century all the way to the 17th century,” Wu explains. “So [it would] have everybody involved—including Rome and Italy."

Wu says the Collective plans to showcase not just Chinese culture, but "Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Lebanese, Iranians, Iraqis, Persians—all the way to Rome,” he says. “Step by step in this way, we can educate people about that time frame’s culture and why it was so different from what we have now," Wu explains.

Hands-on history
Silk Road Cultural Collective takes an interactive approach to cultural education. Rather than simply displaying artifacts behind glass, the collective members encourage people to touch, feel, and even wear, authentic reproductions of historical clothing and armor.

Little Flower Meadow and Ying Pu in historic Chinese clothing.Wu’s second acquisition in his collection— an intricately crafted Mingguang arm guard from the seventh century Tang dynasty—exemplifies the hands-on philosophy. "This [arm guard] was done with over a hundred lamellar plates welded, so it's all handmade,” he explains as he admires the craftmanship and designs of the Tang and Ming dynasties. “It's beautiful.”

Silk Road Cultural Collective’s first major public demonstration will take place this Saturday, Jan. 31 at the Solon Lunar New Year Celebration at the Solon Community Center, 35000 Portz Parkway, Solon 44139.

"We'll be offering anybody who would like to try [armor] out for a photo op, so they can feel it and know how heavy it is, can [do so], for a donation,” Wu says. He cautions that the armors weighs between 20 and 30 pounds, so it's not a lightweight experience.

Silk Road will be at the Asia Plaza Lunar New Year Celebration on Saturday, Feb. 14 and Sunday, Feb. 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Asia Plaza, 2999 Payne Aven., Cleveland 44114. And, of course, the Collective will be at the 2026 Cleveland Asia Festival on May 16 and 17. Wu says he expects interest to grow.

"We are the first people in the Midwest area doing this,” he says. “I think it will be something that [will] bring a lot of excitement and interest."

Educational outreach and future plans
The Collective has already garnered interest from educational institutions. Wu says The Ohio State University recently contacted him about speaking on campus in April.

Johnny Wu in armor from the Tang dynasty.He says programming will include martial arts demonstrations, sword cutting exhibitions, and, eventually, supervised sparring sessions, “so we people can dress in their armor and spar with each other [in a safe] environment."

Safety is always a top priority, Wu says, as they develop the hands-on programming. "We don't want anybody holding a real sword accidentally cut themselves,” he’s quick to emphasize. “So we have to [take it] step by step."

Pu's connections in China help the Collective source authentic materials and costumes and Wu welcomes volunteers from all backgrounds to participate as heritage performers.

"You don't have to be Asian to be part of this heritage performance,” he says. “But the one requirement is you need to invest into the outfit you need to wear.”

Wu says he envisions future partnerships with restaurants to create immersive dining experiences where patrons can "travel back in time so they eat food from that time era, watch performances, [and learn] the different customs."