Qingdao and Chongqing Work Together to Facilitate Innovation
Recently, a team led by Wang Jiansong, Deputy Director of Tsinghua (Qingdao) Academy of Arts and Science Innovation Research (“TASA”), upon invitation, visited Chongqin-based Qingyu Weishi Co., Ltd.[Angelo1] (“Qingyu Weishi”). During the trip, the TASA team also exchanged views with Jiangjin District People’s Government of Chongqing Municipality and Qingyu Weishi on facilitating the development of cultural tourism, cultural and creative industries, and relevant types of cultural business. Also present at the meeting were Qin Min, standing member of CPC Committee & Director of the Publicity Department of Jiangjin District; Yan Lun, Deputy Director of Jiangjin District Committee for Culture and Tourism Development; Chi Yunbin, General Manager of Chongqing Baisha Construction Co., Ltd.; Dong Suxue, associate professor & Director of Academic Affairs Office, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University (AADTHU); Guan Zhengming, General Manager of Qingyu Weishi, and Gan You, senior adviser of Qingyu Weishi.
Wang Jiansong, Deputy Director of TASA, briefed participants on the academic tradition of AADTHU and the founding plan and development philosophy of TASA. He said that AADTHU, formerly known as the Central Academy of Arts & Design, is one of the most prestigious academies of arts and design. AADTHU ranked first in Arts and Design discipline in the Chinese University Disciplines Assessment conducted by the Ministry of Education in 2012 and 2016 respectively. AADTHU ranked 19th in the 2020 QS World University Rankings for Arts and Design. AADTHU has contributed a lot to the national image, people’s well-being, and specialized education by engaging in the design of the national emblem, national medals, and the red ribbon landscape at Tian’anmen Square on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, showcasing China’s charm with design works, and carefully shaping the national image. TASA, as the only authorized academy of AADTHU in China, will leverage the disciplinary and talent strengths of Tsinghua University, in light of the location and industrial advantages of Qingdao, to facilitate innovation that integrates arts and science and drive the sustainable development of society, culture and economy.
❏ Wang Jiansong and Dong Suxue briefing the audience on the academic tradition of AADTHU and the development plan of TASA
In line with the key national development strategies and the needs of society and the people, TASA has planned six incubators for future innovation in mobility, lifestyle, health and wellbeing, fashion, learning R&D, and cultural sustainability respectively. TASA has set up over 20 research institutes under these incubators in partnership with top companies including BMW China, CRRC Qingdao Sifang, Hisense, Kotler Marketing Group (KMG), and Phoenix Media Group.TASA, Qingdao-based, has a national reach and a global vision. By pooling strengths and resources in relevant areas and focusing on establishing a platform for collaborative innovation and synergic development, TASA is committed to actively expanding influence in wider fields and regions and working together with partners across the country to boost integrated cultural and sci-tech development, university-industry synergic development, adaptive development of businesses and industries, and innovative development in talent cultivation and social needs, ultimately shaping an arts and design innovation and cooperation platform that incorporates industrial, academic and research communities. This exchange meeting is an important exploration by TASA in establishing a collaborative innovation and development platform. It helps TASA accumulate valuable experience and pursue innovative development across industries and regions.
This joint initiative by Qingdao and Chongqing will actively align with the strategy of developing a strong culture to write a new chapter in promoting integrated and inter-regional arts and science innovation. To be specific, cultural and creative studies focusing on cultural tourism projects will be carried out to facilitate cultural and artistic creation, cultural heritage protection, the development of cultural tourism resources, the cultivation of cultural and creative professionals, and industry-university-research-application cooperation and exchange. This initiative will further tap into the intrinsic dynamics of cultural resources in Chongqing and the wider south China region, and ultimately drive the development of domestic cultural tourism, cultural and creative industries and other culture-related types of business.
Dong Suxue also noted that TASA is a detached entity of AADTHU, the Academic Affairs Office at AADTHU would pool internal academic resources to facilitate collaborative innovation with local partners and play a positive role in driving the translation of research results, technology transfer, and the development of local industries.
❏ Guan Zhengming expressing his wish to cooperate
Guan Zhengming said that Qingyu Weishi is an innovative hi-tech company established under the Belt and Road Initiative. By incorporating industry, academia, research and application, the company specializes in the commercialization of high technologies including the Internet of Things (IoT), big data and artificial intelligence (AI). Guan expected that collaborative innovation could pool and leverage resources available, including the geographical and policy strengths of Jiangjin District Government, TASA’s strengths in talent, technological R&D and application, and Qingyu Weishi’s strengths in market resources integration and business development, to develop Chongqing’s cultural tourism IP projects focused on Jiangjin by organically combining culture, tourism and education. The partners will, centering on cultural sustainability, establish a domestically leading center for cultural and creative industries, high-level cultural and creative professionals, artistic creation, and cultural tourism and cultural and creative content publishing, hopefully contributing to the development of a strong culture.
Yan Lun and Chi Yunbin also expressed their opinions. They recognized the first-rate strengths of AADTHU and TASA in their areas of expertise, and believed that the integration of innovation resources would drive the development of relevant cultural and creative industries including cultural tourism in Chongqing and contribute to local cultural identity and the strategy of developing a strong culture.
❏ Qin Min offering his inputs on collaborative innovation
Finally, Qin Min expressed the district government’s welcome to the TASA team led by Wang Jiansong. Qin said that Chongqing, as one of the four municipalities directly under the central government, boasts rich local cultural legacy, which provides a fertile soil for the growth of cultural tourism and cultural and creative industries. Further, the city’s rapid economic development is a constant innovation impetus for sci-tech progress. These factors enable Chongqing to always keep its fresh vitality and enterprising spirit in the context of arts and science integrated innovation. He would like to see more local businesses engage in collaborative innovation with AADTHU and TASA, so that first-class academic resources may be applied to solving industrial problems arising from development. Hopefully, the application and translation of technological and academic results will, from point to surface, contribute to local economic development and win-win outcomes over time.
❏ The meeting venue
