Tsinghua BMW Innovation Center for ICH Safeguarding opens new chapter of innovative inheritance of ICH arts

The Academic Salon is intended for presentation and communication on the results of 2019 workshop project of the Tsinghua BMW Innovation Center for ICH Safeguarding, and bringing together experts and scholars of various fields to discuss the modes and extended directions for innovation of intangible cultural heritages in the future. WANG Jiansong, Deputy Director of TASA hosted the event, and five tutors from AADTHU, namely, WANG Yue, associate professor, SHEN Wei, associate professor, MO Zhi, assistant professor, YUE Song, associate professor and WANG Yinan, associate professor; and three ICH inheritors from Hainan, i.e. HUANG Liqiong, HUANG Cuihua and FENG Zengchao, and other members of the project team presented the results of the Project. YANG Meihong, vice president of BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd., and YANG Xinbin, senior manager of Public Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility of BMW Brilliance were also invited to the event; and LU Xiaobo, Dean, ZHAO Chao, Deputy Dean, REN Qian, director of General Affairs Office, YANG Peizhang and MA Wenjia, associate professors, MA Lei and CHEN Yanzi from Arts and Crafts Training Department, of AADTHU, and several teachers and students of AADTHU and ASRC also attended the event. 

In the session for presentation of project results, the tutors and inheritors elucidated their thoughts and process of creation and disclosed the expectations for the future. Associate Professor WANG Yue shared the work of the team Harmony and Fusion. She explained the work is intended for reflecting the optimal status of "Harmony" in traditional Chinese culture in 3 aspects, i.e. harmony between man and nature, agree to disagree and harmonious co-existence. In the subsequent development of the topic, they shall assist the inheritors to establish the interactive linking with the environment ecosystem and resource ecosystem, and jointly study the sound ecosystem for the sustainable development of intangible cultural heritage. 

Associate Professor SHEN Wei's project team and the inheritors focused on mutual complementing of modern artistic design and traditional crafting skills. They made innovations on the ornaments, incorporating the scenarios and cultural elements unique in the environment of Hainan, and jointly created Phoenix Courtship. 

Assistant Professor MO Zhi's project team held that women are the main undertaker of the intangible cultural heritage - Li brocade and the life style of women has been fused in the craft over the long history of production and hand making, so they created Cradle Narrative to highlight the role of mother, without disrupting the original crafts and rules.

Associate Professor YUE Song's project team learned that the intangible heritage skill of making Dongpo Bamboo Hat is a very matured skill, but they still wanted to recommend innovative concepts for the inheritors and cause the product to echo with different articles and scenarios, so they created Floating Lotus based on modern furniture design concepts, to provide the intangible heritage craft with more varied presentations, and more opportunities to enter the market and access to customers. 

Associate Professor WANG Yinan's project team took the cooperation as a precious opportunity for dialogue between contemporary artists and traditional craft inheritors. For a craft to become a representative intangible heritage, it must have its advanced nature and applicability of the times. The result of the Project - Rise of Clouds · Fall of Tides is an innovative work breaking through the art development limitations and integrating art, design, pattern and tradition.

Associate Professor YANG Peizhang also expressed his opinions on future projects. He said the inheritance and protection of intangible cultural heritage is a long process, and the better presentation results can be achieved through progressive breakthroughs and innovations. As for the specific effect of the Project, he provided the following recommendations: 1. To leverage the advantages of AADTHU in talent training; 2. To motivate inheritors’ actual understanding in the process of the Project; 3. To show the respect and support of BMW for traditional culture, and highlight the cultural development concepts of the company. 

In the following Q&A section, Yang Meihong shared her view on the results of the Project. BMW has cooperated with AADTHU for a long time, and both parties continuously make new attempts and innovations, from establishing the entire platform, to proposing "Enabling intangible heritage inheritors", in an effort to unite both parties’ strengths to make intangible cultural heritages enter the modern life and accepted by the public. She felt so marvelled at the works of arts from AADTHU and the inheritors during the Project, and showed full respect to such presentation forms of intangible cultural heritage skills. The cooperation embodies the process of inheritors for continuous breaking through the self-restrictions and realizing innovations. This is not simply for "Poverty alleviation" of inheritors, but teaching skills and guiding the thinking, to help them realize transformation. As seen from the presentation forms of the works, several traditional skills come closer to the life. We hope to consistently improve the cooperation mode, so as to enable more excellent intangible heritage crafts to enter our life. 

LU Xiaobo also told about his opinions on the implementation of the Project. Since the launching of the intangible cultural heritage protection and innovation project, we have achieved more and more matured results. In particular, the project results this time are very amazing, the inheritors have created works suitable for the modern life style, through the collaboration with the tutors from AADTHU and by utilizing their advantages. We expect more and more intangible cultural heritage results to really enter the market and the life of people in the future. The actual transformation of such social service-oriented products requires a site for realizing the transformation, and it is the reason why we transfer the Innovation Center for ICH Safeguarding to TASA. We hope we can industrialize intangible cultural heritage results and establish the strong brand effect, based on the training mode of AADTHU, the industrial advantages and brand incubating and innovation capability of TASA, to enable intangible cultural heritages to actually go on the public stage.

Dean LU Xiaobo also gave his opinions on the future development of the Project. First, it is necessary to consider and summarize the experience and lessons of the previous projects, and effectively solve the problems of the inheritors. For instance, a stable tutor team may be established, to provide the iterative and complete services for inheritors, and then students are allowed to participate in the Project, to display the skills and also create economic benefits. At the same time, the focus shall be laid on improvement of the market and commercializing efforts. BMW has launched many exhibitions and large scale campaigns, playing an important role in publicity and promotion. We hope TASA shall make more efforts on business operation after beginning the official operation, to attract more private resources interested in developing intangible cultural heritages to participate in the Project. 

As for whether the inheritors can go a step further to become top level artists after the Project, Mr. LU is optimistic. According to his opinion, the arts and design discipline is assigned with the responsibility of promoting industrial upgrading and social transformation now, and under such a context, TASA can attract more private capitals and attention of the public, and artists and inheritors can create excellent brands and works on the platform. 

❏ LU Xiaobo highly values the results of the Project. 

In the end, WANG Jiansong, Deputy Director of TASA extended thanks for the opinions and recommendations provided by the leaders, guests, media and students for the intangible cultural heritage inheritance and innovation center. He said that the task of TASA is to interface the results from the Project with public resources, and complete the branding transformation. The support to intangible cultural heritage cannot be accomplished in a day, or completed by any single person. TASA shall, following the concept of "To give someone fish is no better than to teach him how to fish", consistently explore relevant approaches and methods in the process of the Project, and is surely to step on a smooth way for development with the support from all sectors of the society. 

This academic salon has showed a clearer development path forward for the innovation and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage of the Project. TASA will continue to shoulder the mission of cultural inheritance and industrial transformation, and further support the development of intangible cultural heritage protection and innovation in China with the cooperative attitude of openness and inclusiveness and sustainable development.

❏ Site scene of Academic Salon of Tsinghua BMW Innovation Center for ICH Safeguarding

❏ Site scene of Academic Salon of Tsinghua BMW Innovation Center for ICH Safeguarding

❏ Site scene of Academic Salon of Tsinghua BMW Innovation Center for ICH Safeguarding