Tsinghua BMW "Exploration and Practice of Innovation Mode for ICH Safeguarding" Project Closeout Meeting Successfully Concluded

On April 8, 2022, Tsinghua BMW 2020-2021 "Exploration and Practice of Innovation Mode for ICH Safeguarding" Project Closeout Meeting was held as scheduled in Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University. Six ICH inheritors from Liaoning and Hubei have completed the practice project successfully.

Since 2016, in the "BMW China Culture Journey", we have annually selected ICH inheritors to participate in research and training at the Tsinghua BMW Innovation Center for ICH Safeguarding, building a bridge for "intangible cultural heritage going into modern life". Since 2019, the Tsinghua BMW Innovation Center for ICH Safeguarding has been newly upgraded, and the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University ("AADTHU"), BMW China Automotive Trading Ltd., BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd., and Tsinghua (Qingdao) Academy of Arts and Science Innovation Research ("the Academy") co-organized Tsinghua BMW "Exploration and Practice of Innovation Mode for ICH Safeguarding", further improving the inheritors' artistic vision and cultural creativity.

Based on the intangible cultural heritage and the inheritors selected by the visiting activities of the "BMW China Culture Journey" project from 2020 to 2021, the project team is formed by Tsinghua University's expert instructors and ICH inheritors to explore the innovative paths and extension models of ICH inheritance, protection and development through six representative ICH projects for the ICHs in Hubei Province and Liaoning Province, including amber carving, Chu-style lacquerware, Songhua inkstone, traditional tin engraving, Fuxin agate carving and Chu zhuoqin.

MA Sai, Secretary of the Party Committee of Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, ZHAO Chao, Vice President of Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University and Tsinghua (Qingdao) Academy of Arts and Science Innovation Research, WANG Jiansong, Vice President of Tsinghua (Qingdao) Academy of Arts and Science Innovation Research, SUN Wei, Vice President of Corporate Affairs of BMW Group in Greater China, YANG Xinbin, Senior Manager of Public Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility Department of BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd., and LI Dan, Manager, attended the closeout meeting. Associate Professor WANG Xiaoxin, Associate Professor YANG Peizhang, Associate Professor LIU Runfu, Associate Professor SU Zhipeng, Associate Professor MA Wenjia and Assistant Researcher TAN Jiajia (representing President LU Xiaobo) attended the meeting as supervisor representatives from Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University.

Affected by the pandemic, four inheritors from Liaoning, CHEN Huansheng, SHI Yan, FENG Yueting and YANG Fan, and two inheritors from Hubei, ZOU Chuanzhi and WAN Xiang, participated in the closeout meeting online.

At the meeting, reporters from China Newsweek, China Business, China Culture Daily, Auto Business Review and Carben, professors from AADTHU, and ICH inheritors held interactive discussions on the sustainable development and market-oriented development of intangible cultural heritage.

This social achievement of the innovation base not only creates a paradigm for the innovation and development of intangible cultural heritage industry, but also reflects the social responsibility of Tsinghua (Qingdao) Academy of Arts and Science Innovation Research, namely, injecting vitality and creativity into traditional craftsmanship and effectively promoting the lifestyle intangible cultural heritage.

Through the innovative empowerment and systematic learning of one-on-one "learning by doing" by expert tutors from Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, inheritors have integrated more modern artistic expression in the traditional intangible cultural heritage skills, excavated the richer and deeper charm of intangible cultural heritage works, and injected new vitality into them.

The new phase of Tsinghua BMW "Innovation Center for ICH Safeguarding Practice Project" has selected five ICH inheritors from Yunnan Province, and has completed the online lecture guidance. Going forward, under the guidance of the project supervisor, the intangible cultural creative products with market demand will be designed and developed, and the results are expected to be released in October this year. Let us look forward to what results will be brought to us after the fusion of intangible cultural heritage skills and modern art.