On November 13th, 2024, the “2024 Revitalizing Intangible Heritage: Tianfu Night” was held at the Eastern Suburb Memory. The event was attended by Wang Xiaofeng, President of the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Association, Dai Yunkang, Deputy Director of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Department of Publicity, Secretary of the Leading Party Members’ Group, and Director at the Sichuan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, Wang Xiang, Party Secretary of Weibo, and other leaders, who delivered speeches. The event attracted hundreds of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) inheritors, experts, scholars, and media representatives from across China, marking the launch of “Tianfu Intangible Cultural Heritage Week.” Themed on “Hueful Intangible Heritage, Coexistence and Sharing,” the event officially announced the selection of excellent cases for the protection and inheritance of ICH in Sichuan Province. Among the selected cases, the “New Intangible Heritage, New Stories” National College ICH Digital Cultural and Creative Competition (the Competition), submitted by CDUT, was successfully included as an outstanding example in the “ICH on Campus” category, making it the only university case selected.
The event
After panel review and online voting, 42 outstanding cases for the protection and inheritance of Sichuan’s ICH were selected. These cases span multiple areas, including ICH protection practices, ICH tourism, ICH on campus, and ICH promotion. The Competition was recognized for its innovative exploration in the “ICH on Campus” field, becoming a model for universities’ participation in ICH protection.
The event
Organized by the College of Communication Science and Art at CDUT, the Competition is the first academic contest in China themed on “ICH+Digital.” It focuses on the new scenarios and ecosystems of ICH inheritance in the new era, utilizing digital means to empower the protection and dissemination of ICH. It covers three major categories: design, video, and audio, and includes folk literature. Since its establishment, the Competition has attracted nearly 60,000 teachers, students, and professional designers from across China, with over 25,000 works created, becoming a significant platform for digital dissemination of ICH.
The award plaque
As a crucial achievement of the “ICH on Campus” innovation practice, the Competition has promoted the deep integration of ICH protection and cultural education in universities. It has explored new paths for the digital dissemination of ICH and demonstrated CDUT’s commitment to the inheritance and innovation of Chinese traditional culture. The successful implementation of the Competition was made possible by the strong support of the Publicity Department at the Party Committee, the Office of Academic Affairs, and the Office of Social Science of CDUT. The Competition originated from a joint initiative in 2021 between CDUT and Chengdu Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center to establish the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle Intangible Cultural Heritage Digital Cultural and Creative Competition. It was later incorporated into the Milan Design Week’s China Collegiate Design Competition & Exhibition, providing a broad platform for ICH protection.
In the future, CDUT will continue to deepen the practice of integrating ICH protection with digital technology, promoting the revitalization and innovation of intangible heritage culture, and contributing to the inheritance and innovation of Chinese traditional culture as well as the construction of Sichuan as a culturally strong province.
