At 10:00 a.m. on May 19, 2024, the "2024 Creative Yuanyang" Local Culture-Themed Creative Event of Yunnan Arts University (YNAU) kicked off at Kunming Dianchi International Convention & Exhibition Center.
This event was hosted by the People's Government of Yuanyang County and YNAU, organized by the Culture and Tourism Bureau of Yuanyang County, the Design School of YNAU and Yuanyang Hani Terrace Cultural Tourism Operation Management Co., Ltd., and co-organized by Kunming International Convention and Exhibition Center Co., Ltd.
Leaders from the Committee of Culture, History and Study of Yunnan Provincial CPPCC, Yunnan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, Yunnan Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, Yunnan Provincial Science and Technology Department and other provincial departments; Ouyang Junhu, deputy secretary of the CPC Committee of and president of YNAU; Mu Mingjun, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Yuanyang County Committee and Head of Yuanyang County; leaders, experts and scholars from sister colleges inside and outside the province such as Academy of Arts & Design of Tsinghua University, Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, Beijing Film Academy, Yunnan University, Yunnan Minzu University, Kunming University of Science and Technology and Yuxi Normal University. Leaders of provincial state-owned enterprises and relevant enterprises attended the opening ceremony. Leaders from the functional departments and secondary schools of YNAU, as well as faculty and students from the Design School of YNAU, participated in the event.
At the opening ceremony, Wang Jiancai, Vice President of YNAU, delivered a speech. He welcomed and thanked experts, scholars, and friends from all walks of life present at the event, and pointed out that for a long time, with the care and support of the CPC Yunnan Provincial Committee, the People's Government of Yunnan Province, the Education Working Committee of the CPC Yunnan Provincial Committee, the Education Department of Yunnan Province, leaders from all sectors of society and relevant departments, YNAU and the Design School have been bold in innovation and hard work to further promote the innovation of talent training mode and actively promote the organic combination of government, industry, university, research and application. It has achieved gratifying results and accumulated valuable experience. As the only comprehensive arts university in Yunnan, YNAU has a responsibility to leverage its academic strengths to further promote broad, multi-level, and extensive collaboration between the university and local communities, as well as enterprises. This involves strengthening substantive communication and cooperation in talent development and project advancement. YNAU is committed to making a positive and due contribution to Yunnan’s role as a model region for ethnic unity and progress in China, a leader in ecological civilization, and enhancing Yunnan's position and influence in the national development landscape.
In his speech, Mu Mingjun, the Mayor of the People’s Government of Yuanyang County, stated that the successful execution of the "Creative Yuanyang" event has fulfilled the goals set by the CPC Yunnan Provincial Committee and the People's Government of Yunnan Province for Honghe Prefecture to become a "triple demonstration zone" and achieve revitalization in the south. It has leveraged Yuanyang’s advantages as a border region with ethnic unity and progress, an ecological civilization exemplar, and home to world-famous, beautiful terraces. The event has deepened diverse interactions between educational institutions and local areas, jointly promoting the construction of cultural enterprises, the development of cultural and creative industries, the training of cultural professionals, and the preservation and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage. It strives to achieve deep integration of the agricultural, cultural, and tourism industries, aiming to develop a world-class tourist destination, and is a robust integration of further deepening cooperation between educational institutions and local areas for shared resource utilization.
In his address, Professor Wan Fan, Dean of the Design School of YNAU, remarked that this year marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Design School of YNAU and the 20th year of the "Creative Series" events. He noted that "Creative Yuanyang" represents a continuation and elevation of the school’s collaboration with local and corporate partners and is a significant initiative by the Design School to serve regional economic and social development. By innovatively designing around the unique regional cultural content of the Yuanyang area, the Design School has implemented an integrated talent development model that spans from teaching to creation, from creation to practice, from practice to market, and from market to serving society. This "government-industry-academia-research-application" approach has facilitated the research and development, promotion, display, introduction, application, and transformation of the event's design outcomes. It represents a vivid practice of the Design School in serving local social development and promoting the innovation and preservation of local culture.
Wang Weizhen from the Committee of Culture, History, and Study of Yunnan Provincial CPPCC announced the opening of the event. The activities of the day included visiting the achievements exhibition, promoting Yuanyang tourism resources on "May 19 National Tourism Day," signing contracts for "Creative Yuanyang" projects, a discussion between YNAU and Yuanyang County on university-local cooperation, and a seminar on the transformation of "Creative Yuanyang" achievements, along with on-site negotiations for business visits and job expansion. The exhibition lasts from May 19 to 24, 2024.
The "2024 Creative Yuanyang" event focuses on local cultural themes. Faculty and students from the five undergraduate majors and seven graduate specializations at the Design School leveraged their professional strengths. Based on the local resources and distinctive advantages of Yuanyang County, they actively explored new approaches to innovative design by drawing upon local culture, thus forging a new path for the sustainable development of cultural resources and harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.
In this event, the Design School of YNAU integrated its comprehensive advantages in scientific research, creative design, technical practice, and talent education. By making use of the natural and cultural features of the Yuanyang region and focusing on the strategic development plans and actual social needs of Yuanyang, the Design School used design as a medium to reshape the contemporary value of Yuanyang's cultural heritage and to engage in the active evolution of the living environment. Through cutting-edge digital technology, the aim is to create a smart life and realize the vision of transforming and integrating the strengths of the university's intellectual resources with local cultural resources, seeking mutually beneficial and win-win development.
During the same period, the exhibition of the 20th anniversary achievements of the “Creative Series” activities and the retrospective exhibition of the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Design School of YNAU were held.
Since 2004, the Design School of YNAU has been implementing reform in its educational model, dedicated to "serving national culture and the construction of ecological civilization through a 'government-industry-academia' approach to innovative design talent training." Over the years, it has carried out Creative Tengchong (2004), Creative Xizhou (2005), Creative Fumin (2006), Creative Shangri-La and Creative Eshan (2007), Creative Shilin (2008), Creative Heqing (2009), Creative Ruili (2010), Creative Gejiu (2011), Creative Xundian (2012), Beautiful Yunnan (2013), CIF (2014-2015), Creative Kunming (2016), Creative Cangyuan (2017), Creative Chenggong (2018), Creative Mile (2019), Creative Weishan (2020), A Century of Splendor: Harmonious Coexistence (2021), Design Empowerment · Rural Revitalization (2022), Creative Jinning (2023) and Creative Yuanyang (2024). The 20-year ongoing "University-Local Cooperation" in local culture-themed creative activities has led to significant reforms, producing a wealth of innovative design talent that meets national strategies and societal needs, with outstanding results.
Over the course of 20 years of the "Creative Series" activities, the school has actively engaged in national strategies and fulfilled its role in serving society. To date, the initiative has involved around 13,000 participations by teachers and students, served 620 companies, and completed over 24,000 design projects, with more than 5,000 being implemented, generating an economic benefit of approximately 240 million yuan. The series of creative activities have propelled the development of the academy and also enabled contemporary young college students to gain a deep understanding of society, the nation's condition, the provincial situation, and the people's sentiments. They have integrated their life aspirations into the nation's and the ethnicity's endeavors. As the collaboration between schools and local communities continues to flourish, the framework for practical education is refined, and the system for evaluating achievements is enhanced, the "Creative Series" events embody the local understanding of Yunnan's design movements. By integrating the region's unique cultural and geographical resources with modern design education, these events meld perspectives on nature, ethnicity, and social responsibility. This fusion has culminated in an artistic feast that touches on livelihood, dreams, and wisdom. Year after year, the creative practice has integrated "aesthetics" with "intelligent manufacturing," emphasizing the synergy between "artistic expression" and "scientific research." This approach has fostered innovative design professionals in various fields, including cultural heritage, regional value, cultural dissemination, and social services, contributing to the natural ecology, living environment, and local industry development in Yunnan.
