The recent opening of the Sichuan Social Science Museum marked a significant milestone for the province’s cultural landscape. Representatives from CDUT’s Social Science Department, College of Communication Science and Arts, and Sichuan Opera Popularization Base were invited to the event. At the opening ceremony, the “Sichuan Opera Tops the World” Cultural Exhibition presented by CDUT’s Sichuan Opera Popularization Base received unanimous praise from the leaders and guests present. The event was guided by the Sichuan Social Sciences Association and organized by the Sichuan Social Science Museum and the Popularization Department of the Sichuan Social Sciences Association.
The Sichuan Social Science Museum, a landmark public cultural space, integrates functions such as popularization in philosophy and social sciences, discipline development, academic exchange and cooperation, collection and service of literature, exhibition of academic achievements, and organizational management and service. It aims to consolidate the province’s resources in philosophy and social sciences, meet public demand for cultural products centered around social sciences, and enhance the province’s cultural soft power.
Opening Ceremony Site
Sichuan Opera Popularization Base’s Exhibition Site
Divided into four thematic sections—“Charm of Sichuan,” “Audio-Visual Feast,” “Opera Comes Alive,” and “Legends Born”—the exhibition showcased over 40 face masks and cultural products. Interactive experiences like digital face-changing and face mask painting were set up, allowing the audience to view Sichuan Opera’s unique skills via high-definition videos. Live performances by young Sichuan Opera talents brought the art to life, offering insights into its enduring appeal and deep connections to Bashu culture (Sichuan and Chongqing culture).
Audience Members Copying Ouyang Family Sichuan Opera Face Masks
Young Sichuan Opera Performers with Attending Leaders and Guests
A standout feature of the exhibition was the fusion of tradition with innovation. The “Mask Eyes” fashion series, created by young designers in collaboration with Sichuan Embroidery inheritors, drew inspiration from the intricate eyes and eyebrows of traditional Sichuan Opera masks. The collection exemplified the fusion of traditional Eastern aesthetics and contemporary design. The cultural creative products “Three ‘Xiao’s”(three important characters in Sichuan Opera) and “Sichuan and Beyond” were designed by students from CDUT’s Sichuan Opera Popularization Base, combining classical Sichuan Opera characters with modern youth lifestyles and aesthetics. These works represent an excellent practice of cultural inheritance and innovation by university students rooted in traditional culture.
The digital face-changing interactive system for Sichuan Opera attracted many visitors. Developed by CDUT’s Provincial Key Laboratory for Digital Preservation and Smart Sharing of Traditional Local Opera Resources, the system uses AI-based facial capture technology to automatically recognize head movements and match various types of face masks. This creates a personalized digital face-changing experience that is both informative and fun, exemplifying the innovative intersection of opera and technology.
Innovative Works in the “Opera Comes Alive” Exhibition Area
Audience Member Experiencing Digital Face-Changing
The Sichuan Opera Cultural Exhibition seamlessly combined dynamic and static areas, vividly showcasing the broad prospects of Sichuan Opera’s innovation within tradition. As CDUT’s Sichuan Opera Popularization Base continues to promote this cultural heritage, it is helping to ensure that Sichuan Opera remains not just a historical artifact, but a vibrant and evolving part of contemporary life. This initiative demonstrates the vital role of leading universities in cultural inheritance and innovation.
Introduction to the Sichuan Opera Popularization Base
Approved in 2022, the Sichuan Opera Popularization Base is the first of its kind in Sichuan Province, jointly established by CDUT, Sichuan Provincial Academy of Arts, and Sichuan Opera Troupe. Its mission is to popularize opera knowledge, preserve the art’s essence, and foster its innovation. It uses the Sichuan Opera Museum (physical and virtual) as a platform and focuses on opera courses, digital display platforms, and interactive experiences to carry out the work of opera inheritance and dissemination to the public.
