SZPU Exhibition Booth located at 9B08 in Hall 9 – Cultural Industries Hall.

Visitors pausing to explore the SZPU booth.

On May 22, the 21st China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) opened grandly at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center (Bao’an). As one of the country’s premier cultural events, this year’s ICIF brought together cultural and creative works from across China and around the world. The Shenzhen Polytechnic University (SZPU) booth, located at 9B08 in Hall 9 – Cultural Industries Hall, stood out with over 600 original pieces by faculty and students, highlighting their achievements in creative practice and applied learning over the past year. For the first time, the ICIF introduced international volunteers—90% of whom were SZPU international students. Nine student volunteers from SZPU became one of the fair’s most popular attractions.

Yang Xinbin visits the SZPU “Blessing Family” cultural product series at the Futian Exhibition Hall.

On the opening day, SZPU Party Secretary Yang Xinbin visited the booth, carefully examining the showcased works and warmly engaging with team members and volunteers. He praised the outstanding outcomes in cultural heritage preservation, design innovation, and industry application. Yang emphasized that the exhibition was not only a concentrated display of the university’s teaching and research capabilities but also a vivid example of vocational education integrating into the cultural industry development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. He encouraged all participating teams to seize this opportunity, align with industrial needs, urban culture, and future lifestyles, and drive their creative designs from classrooms and exhibitions into the market and urban spaces—contributing vocational education wisdom to Shenzhen’s ambition of becoming a globally influential hub for innovation and creativity.

Innovating for a Beautiful Future: Symbiosis Through Design

“Nüshu · Her Words” — Three-panel Folding Screen.

Craft Artworks:The Twelve Zodiac Timepieces (top) andCocoon (bottom).

Jewelry Design:Hou.

With the theme “Innovating for a Beautiful Future: Symbiosis Through Design”, the SZPU exhibition was jointly organized by the Research Affairs Office, the College of Innovation and Creative Design, and the Institute of Cultural and Creative Product Research. The booth featured over 600 works across five categories: jewelry design, craft arts, cultural products, digital interaction, and intangible cultural heritage. These works explored the contemporary expression of traditional culture and future-oriented lifestyle design. The “Nüshu · Her Words” series stood out by incorporating the world’s only script designed and used exclusively by women—Nüshu—into modern cultural creations. Through the fusion of Nüshu’s character forms and regional decorative elements, and by embedding them into contemporary design aesthetics, these products brought intangible cultural heritage into everyday life, making it both functional and alive.

Jewelry Design:Structural Exploration of Jewelry Under the Semantics of Bamboo and Shells.

“Perseverance” — Candle Series Inspired by SZPU’s Motto.

Intangible Cultural Heritage Works by Faculty and Students from Yunshen College.

Faculty and students from Yunshen College of SZPU also contributed works featuring nationally recognized intangible cultural heritage techniques, including wheat straw inlay, Hezhe fish-skin painting, and stone rubbing art, to create a series of meticulously crafted works that blend traditional craftsmanship with contemporary aesthetics. Highlights such as “Youth in Bloom”—a collection of scarves and jewelry inspired by Shenzhen’s city flower (bougainvillea) and the university logo—captured both regional identity and fashion-forward design. Other works explored cutting-edge artistic topics:“Immersion & Overlay”, a print series, investigated virtual reality and digital twin concepts;“Cocoon” and“Structural Exploration of Jewelry Under the Semantics of Bamboo and Shells” repurposed materials like pulp, bamboo, shells, and pearls into contemporary expressions of artistry. These works showcased SZPU’s interdisciplinary design capabilities and reimagination of traditional crafts, demonstrating the university’s innovative approach to merging craft with modern design.

Integration of Industry and Education, Collaborative Talent Development

The “Blessing Family” Mascots: Fuqi, Fulu, Fuyu, Futa, and Fuchao.

At the Futian Exhibition Hall, a major highlight was theFive Blessings at the Door – Vibrant City Series, a joint project between SZPU’s College of Innovation and Creative Design and Futian District. The project centers on the district’s tourism mascots—Fuqi, Fulu, Fuyu, Futa, and Fuchao—designed by SZPU, and incorporates local landmarks such as the Civic Center and Ping An Finance Centre. Using anthropomorphic, symbolic, and fashion-forward design approaches, the team created a series of lively and youthful cultural and creative products. The booth’s design integrates urban skylines and ecological landscapes, highlighting the harmony between modern city life and natural culture in Futian. The Five Blessings IP derivatives and gift sets on display exemplify the latest achievements of SZPU’s industry-education integration and government-school collaborative talent training model, establishing a new paradigm for vocational education’s role in building urban cultural brands and drawing crowds of visitors.

Cultural Inheritance and Rural Revitalization Through Innovation

Cultural and Creative Products from the “Double-Hundred Action: Design and Development of Cultural and Creative Products for the Archaeological Town in Baipenzhu Town, Huidong County” Project.

Ancient gilded Buddha statues from the provincial intangible heritage site Xilai Temple are reimagined as modern icons, cheerfully welcoming guests with a fan that “sweeps away worries”; the celadon patterns from the Ming Dynasty Baima Kiln adorn contemporary cups—bringing the millennia-old Maritime Silk Road to life through the aroma of tea. SZPU’s project team, under the “Double-Hundred Action: Design and Development of Cultural and Creative Products for the Archaeological Town in Baipenzhu Town, Huidong County”, has focused on the dual goals of cultural inheritance and rural revitalization through innovation, meticulously creating the first series of cultural and creative products with distinctive archaeological town features. Led by instructors Song Haiyan and Cai Yaoyi of the School of Digital Media, students created a series of distinctive cultural products themed around intangible heritage, archaeology, local IPs, the Maritime Silk Road, and rural revitalization. These designs transform history, tradition, and local identity into aesthetically pleasing and functional items, boosting the area’s cultural tourism appeal and contributing to rural economic development—exploring a replicable path for “culture-powered rural revitalization”.

Building People-to-People Connections Through Volunteer Service

Group photo of international student volunteers.

This year marked the first time foreign volunteers were recruited for the ICIF, with 90% coming from SZPU. “When we heard that the ICIF was looking for international volunteers, many of our students signed up enthusiastically. We selected one or two students from each country to provide multilingual services,” said student advisor Zou Geng. All nine international volunteers came from SZPU’s School of International Education and Cooperation, representing countries such as Italy, Argentina, Thailand, India, Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mexico.

International student volunteers in action.

On the first day of service, volunteers could be seen throughout the exhibition hall, assisting international visitors, introducing exhibits, and providing translation support for exhibitors and buyers. “Though exhausting, it was incredibly rewarding to be able to help those who needed it most,” said Emmanuel from Côte d’Ivoire.

The vibrant cultural atmosphere left a strong impression on the volunteers. “I was thrilled to witness so much creativity and inspiration on my first day at the Shenzhen ICIF,” said Martina from Italy. “I’m incredibly grateful to be part of such a grand event.” Karen from Mexico described the ICIF as “a perfect fusion of culture, technology, art, and history.” She added, “China’s diversity and technological strength amazed me. The influence it has on other participating countries was clear and deeply impressive.”

Group photo of SZPU faculty and students at the ICIF.

Gloria from Italy looked forward to more volunteer opportunities: “This has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Although it was exhausting, it was absolutely worth it! I’ve lost count of how many people I met—each with such fascinating stories to share. The ICIF is not only a platform for promoting people-to-people connections, but for me, it’s also about personal growth. I hope to participate even more and gain a deeper understanding of this beautiful country and its truly sincere people.”

(Correspondents: Yu Yan, Peng Lili, Cai Yaoyi, Zou Geng, Zhang Lei, Yao Jiewen)