Opening Ceremony

On October 7, 2024, the opening ceremony of the fifth phase of the 2024 Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area Youth Creative Design (Creative 100) Talent Training Program was held in Lijiang, Yunnan. The Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area Youth Creative Design Talent (Creative 100) Talent Training Program, supported by the Chen Jianghe Foundation and planned and organized by the Cultural Heritage and Creative Industry Research Institute of Jinan University, has successfully held four sessions since its establishment in 2020. This year is the final training session.

In order to help students better understand the rich and diverse cultural heritage, this year's training will be held in Lijiang, Yunnan. This is a prefecture level city with three world heritages, namely, the Old Town of Lijiang, Three Parallel Rivers and Dongba Ancient Literature, as well as an ancient city with multi-ethnic gathering. The unique Dongba culture and Naxi ancient music will allow students from different regions to deeply understand the richness and vastness of Chinese culture.

Lijiang has the Old Town of Lijiang, Three Parallel Rivers

Three World Heritage Sites of Dongba Literature and Ancient Books

In the past four years, Creative 100 has become a brand project in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, integrating resource advantages, platform advantages, professional advantages, and faculty advantages, fully demonstrating Jinan University's comprehensive position in the Greater Bay Area; The advantage of integrating the experience of cross disciplinary mentors from multiple professions and fields; The advantages of interaction and communication among young designers from Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao, and mainland China; The cultural resource advantages of Lingnan culture, Guangfu culture, and Chinese and overseas Chinese culture. Since its establishment, more than 20 professors, scholars, and top designers from top domestic universities such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, Tongji University, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Jinan University, Beijing Normal University, and Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts have been invited to give lectures. It can be said that masters gather and wisdom gathers; More than 100 young creative design talents have received training.

Part of the guests and students at the opening ceremony

The opening ceremony of this year's class invited Andrei Chevelyov, winner of the 2024 Chinese Government Friendship Award and former director of the Asia Pacific Department of the UNESCO Africa Priority and External Relations Department, Maria Casas, director of the International Affairs Department of the UNESCO World Heritage and Innovation Chair in Paris, Wan Yanjuan, vice chairman of the Yunnan Overseas Chinese Federation, Chen Shaohu, first level director of the Economic and Technological Department of the Yunnan Overseas Chinese Federation, Zi Fangui, chairman of the Lijiang Overseas Chinese Federation, Wu Wei, secretary general of the Beijing Chenjianghe Foundation, Ren Jianxin, executive secretary general of the China Arts and Crafts Society, Li Dejing, former president of the Dongba Cultural Research Institute in Lijiang and vice president of the Dongba Cultural Protection and Inheritance Association in Yunnan Province. Guests including Tao Liming, Executive Editor in Chief of China.com E-commerce China Channel, attended the opening ceremony.

Chen Ping, the overall planner of the Creative 100 Project, the dean of the Cultural Heritage and Creative Industry Research Institute of Jinan University, and the host of the UNESCO World Heritage and Innovation Chair in Traditional Handicrafts, gave a keynote speech and warmly welcomed the guests on behalf of Jinan University.

Speech by Chen Ping, Chief Planner of the Creativity 100 Project, Dean of the Cultural Heritage Creative Industry Research Institute at Jinan University, and UNESCO Chair in World Traditional Handicrafts: Inheritance and Innovation

At the opening ceremony, Chen Ping, the overall planner of the Creativity 100 project, dean of the Cultural Heritage Creative Industry Research Institute of Jinan University, and UNESCO Chair in the Inheritance and Innovation of Traditional Handicrafts, introduced the origin and development of the project, as well as the purpose and goals of the training program. The Creativity 100 focuses on the cultivation of young creative design talents in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, with the overall theme of Youth Activate Creativity, Creativity Shapes Youth; Culture Creates Youth, Youth Creates Culture. It actively responds to and follows General Secretary Xi Jinping's guiding ideology of Innovation is the soul of national progress, an inexhaustible source of prosperity and development for a country, and the deepest national endowment of the Chinese nation, Youth is the most dynamic and creative group in society, and should be at the forefront of innovation and creation, to gather creative design talent resources in the Greater Bay Area, cultivate innovative forces, and build a platform for exchange, learning, and progress enhancement.

Youth are both creators and beneficiaries of creativity. UNESCO believes that in today's globalized and knowledge-based society, creative assets are creating new forms of income and employment, thereby stimulating income growth, especially among young people. Creativity allows people's various sources of inspiration and innovation to flow freely, promoting the construction of an open, inclusive, and diverse society.

Andrei Chevelyov, former Director of the Asia Pacific Department of UNESCO's Africa Priority and External Relations Department and recipient of the 2024 Chinese Government Friendship Award

Andrei Chevelyov, former Director of the Asia Pacific Department of UNESCO's Africa Priority and External Relations Department and winner of the 2024 Chinese Government Friendship Award, fully affirmed the positive influence of the Creativity 100 in his speech. He believes that in the process of young people unleashing their creativity and creativity, it is not only necessary to cooperate with predecessors to protect the cultural traditions of skilled crafts, but also to shoulder the responsibility of ensuring that traditions are passed down from generation to generation and jointly building stronger partnerships. With the arrival of a new era, the development of China's cultural and creative industries is facing a new mission, especially in the context of the the Belt and Road initiative and the construction of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area.

Andre particularly praised the work of Dean Chen Ping, the overall planner of this project. He said: With the arrival of a new era, the development of China's cultural and creative industries is facing a new mission, especially in the context of the 'the Belt and Road' initiative and the construction of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area. The research and practice of cultural and creative industries should strengthen the integration of industry, university and research, actively commit to exploring the production of high-quality cultural products, and constantly promote the healthy and sustainable development of emerging cultural industries. The 'Creative 100' plan was born in this context. I would like to thank Professor Chen for his forward-looking talent and very timely initiative.

At the opening ceremony, Wan Yanjuan, Vice Chairman of Yunnan Overseas Chinese Federation, first congratulated the launch of the 2024 Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area Youth Creative Design Talent (Creative 100) Training Program. She emphasized that General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech inspires the Chinese people to be brave and responsible, and promoting the construction of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area is of great significance for deepening exchanges and cooperation between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macao.

She mentioned that Jinan University, with the influence and internal strength of its faculty, shoulders the important mission of telling Chinese stories, spreading Chinese culture, and showcasing Chinese wisdom. It has played an important role in uniting the hearts of overseas Chinese, enhancing their national pride and cultural identity. The Creativity 100 training program helps young designers innovate and create, contributing to the internationalization of Chinese culture. It is believed that young talents can inspire inspiration, innovate constantly, and contribute to the dissemination of Chinese excellent culture, the promotion of cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and foreign countries, and the connection and trust of the dreams of people in the Chinese dream world. The Yunnan Overseas Chinese Federation will also strengthen communication and cooperation with Jinan University, and continue to contribute to promoting the dissemination of excellent Chinese culture and serving as a bridge and link for transportation between China and foreign countries.

Since its inception, the 'Creative 100' project has carried Mr. Chen Jianghe's profound patriotism and earnest expectations for cultural heritage. Looking back at the past five years, the 'Creative 100' project has attracted outstanding young designers from the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area and all over the country to participate. Through systematic course training, expert guidance, and practical operations, the students' creative design ability and cultural literacy have been enhanced.

In today's world where AI big data technology is increasingly integrated into design, continuous learning is the only way to make progress. Actively embracing new technologies, expanding the boundaries of innovation, and utilizing the opportunities provided by Creative 100 to engage in in-depth exchanges and discussions with experts, scholars, and peers from different fields, broaden one's horizons, and enhance one's abilities. Strengthening cultural confidence and inheriting the Chinese cultural heritage, communication and cooperation are particularly important in this era of globalization. At the same time, the Creativity 100 project actively builds a communication platform to promote communication and cooperation among designers from different regions and fields, providing a broad stage for the growth of young designers During his speech, Wu Wei, Secretary General of the Chen Jianghe Foundation in Beijing, said.

Ren Jianxin, Vice Chairman of the China Arts and Crafts Association, stated during the opening ceremony that both the Cultural Heritage and Creative Industry Research Institute of Jinan University and the China Arts and Crafts Association are committed to the innovation and development of traditional handicrafts. In the past few years, the research institute has made positive contributions in promoting excellent traditional Chinese culture and cultivating a new generation of creative design forces.

We hope that young designers will pay attention to the combination of innovation and tradition, the equal emphasis on culture and market, the application of digital technology, the exploration of new materials and processes, cross-border cooperation and resource sharing, and the expansion of international perspectives in their training. She believes that in the Old Town of Lijiang, every designer can find inspiration and direction to jointly explore a new way to integrate traditional culture and modern design.

Guests: Chen Shaohu, First level Director and Clerk of the Economic and Technological Department of Yunnan Overseas Chinese Federation (left); Zi Fagui, Chairman of Lijiang Returned Overseas Chinese Federation (middle); Li Dejing, Vice President of Yunnan Dongba Cultural Protection and Inheritance Association (right)

From left: Ren Jianxin, Deputy Secretary General of the China Arts and Crafts Society, Wu Wei, Secretary General of the Beijing Chen Jianghe Foundation, Chen Ping, Dean of the Cultural Heritage and Creative Industry Research Institute of Jinan University, and Li Dejing, Vice President of the Yunnan Dongba Cultural Protection and Inheritance Association

China possesses a vast amount of cultural heritage resources and urgently needs to integrate, innovate, develop, utilize, and transform these precious resources to provide the era with a rich traditional Chinese cultural atmosphere and color; New cultural and creative products that can meet the purchasing psychology and aesthetic habits of contemporary consumers, inject new momentum into the development of the contemporary new economy, and showcase China's cultural soft power, are the best way and means to tell the story of China well. Therefore, cultivating a large number of creative talents is very important.

At the end of the opening ceremony, three representatives from the Creative 100 Academy were invited to speak, including Hu Xianming, Director of the Visual Communication Department of the School of Art and Design at Beijing Forestry University, Zhu Yuhua, Artistic Director of Ruzhou Wenhua Ru Porcelain Co., Ltd., and Feng Jiaying, Project Manager of the K11 Public Welfare Industry Association Foundation in Hong Kong, to jointly support the Creative 100 initiative.

After the opening ceremony, Dean Chen Ping and Ms. Li Dejing, former dean of Lijiang Dongba Culture Research Institute and vice president of Yunnan Dongba Culture Protection and Inheritance Association, together with some guests, led the students to experience Dongba culture in Yunnan, visit the World Memory Heritage Site: Naxi Dongba Ancient Literature Museum, experience Dongba wood carving art and Dongba handmade paper production. Let the students immerse themselves in Dongba culture, touch the warmth of Dongba paper with their own hands, and experience the beliefs and emotions of the Naxi people firsthand.

In 2024, as the concluding year of the Creativity 100 project, the theme will be AI Era: When Tradition Meets the Future, and it will be carried out through cutting-edge academic lectures by frontline experts, interactive exchanges, project co creation workshops, and visits for learning. As an early university think tank platform combining cultural heritage and creative industries in China, the Institute of Cultural Heritage and Creative Industries of Jinan University is also the first institution in China that specializes in the research of Chinese cultural heritage and creative industries along the the Belt and Road. This training will last for 7 days. I wish the fifth phase of the 2024 Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area Youth Creative Design (Creative 100) Talent Training Program a successful event.