During the May Day holiday, Xingshou Town in Beijing’s Changping District hosted a series of events under the theme “Mountain-Waters Xingshou, May Day Wander” as part of the Xingshou Cultural Life Festival. The town of Xinzhuang transformed into an artistic utopia, offering visitors a captivating blend of “Art + Life.” The festival featured diverse activities such as the THU ArtRoots Collective Plan , an art coffee market, a sunset concert, an art open day, a village treasure hunt, and intangible cultural heritage (ICH) craft experiences, creating a lively and immersive rural art experience.

Launch Ceremony of the Xingshou Cultural Life Festival

The launch ceremony was held on the morning of May 1 at Xinzhuang Village’s Zero-Carbon Park. Attendees included Qin Chuan, Party Secretary of the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University; Ma Sai, Dean of the academy; Li Pan, Deputy Director of the China National Archive of Publications and Culture; and Lin Yu, Deputy District Mayor of Changping, among others. Together, they witnessed a new chapter in Xingshou Town’s Party-led rural revitalization efforts.

Signing Ceremony of Collaboration Agreement

At the event, the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University and the Xingshou Town People’s Government officially signed a collaboration agreement. Ma Sai, Dean of Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, and Wei Chang, Deputy Party Secretary and Mayor of Xingshou Town, represented their respective parties. The collaboration marked the launch of the THU ArtRoots Collective Plan, a series of rural art education activities aimed at enhancing cultural, talent, ecological, industrial, and organizational development. This partnership will deepen cooperation in areas such as art resource allocation, rural art education enhancement, and art talent cultivation, creating an innovative model for university-local integration and exploring the “Xingshou Proposal” for rural revitalization.

Opening Speech by Qin Chuan

Qin Chuan, Party Secretary of the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, delivered an opening speech. He emphasized that rural revitalization in the new era requires integrated efforts in agriculture, culture, and tourism, urban-rural development, mechanisms for delivering high-quality cultural resources to grassroots levels, and talent aggregation. In the future, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University will actively mobilize its multidisciplinary expertise to establish a long-term mechanism for universities to serve rural areas, exploring “cultural and artistic empowerment for comprehensive rural revitalization.”

Appointment Ceremony of “Art Education Town Mayor” and “Art Education Village Mayors”

To empower Xingshou’s art education development and promote comprehensive rural revitalization, Ju Guodong, Party Secretary of Xingshou Town, appointed Wen Bo, a researcher at Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University’s Cultural Heritage and Innovative Design Institute and head of the THU ArtRoots Collective Plan, as “Art Education Town Mayor.” Additionally, five Tsinghua students were appointed “Art Education Village Mayors”: Ren Xuchao (Industrial Design), Gao Manjun (Sculpture), Tao Yijin (Environmental Design), Sun Yuanyuan (Arts and Crafts), and Chen Xinrui (Art History). These appointees will serve as catalysts for Xingshou’s cultural and tourism development through artistic rural construction.

THU ArtRoots Collective Plan: Main Visual

Supported by the Changping District Committee and Government, the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University and Xingshou Town launched the THU ArtRoots Collective Plan, a student innovation platform rooted in academic excellence and aligned with China’s rural revitalization strategy. The initiative includes cultural salons, art exhibitions, art education classes, and rural markets, embodying Tsinghua Academy of Arts & Design’s tradition of "harmonizing with nature and co-creating with villagers." It aims to activate rural potential through artistic intervention, creating a “trinity” value transformation hub that connects university art resources, local rural culture, and societal innovation needs.

Cultural Salon: Ideas Collide, Wisdom for Revitalization

The Qingmei Rural Creation Salon, titled “When Market Meets Curation: The Symbiotic Aesthetics of Art Creation and Rural Markets,” was moderated by Chen Xinrui, a postgraduate in Art History at Tsinghua Academy of Arts & Design. Panelists included Ren Kai, Xingshou Town’s Organizational Committee Member; Wen Bo, head of the THU ArtRoots Collective Plan; Cao Ying, Secretary-General of Beijing International Design Week’s Blue Market; Zhang Xudong, Vice Principal of Xiang Shang School; Tao Yijin, Tsinghua Academy of Arts & Design doctoral candidate; and alumnus Zhang Qiange. They explored the cultural value and innovative pathways of rural markets through the lens of art.

Art Exhibition: Local Aesthetics, Village Charm Rediscovered

The Qingmei Art Exhibition, “Bril-List of Solar Terms: An Exhibition of 24 Solar Terms Illustration Works,” was co-hosted by Tsinghua Academy of Arts & Design’s Cultural Heritage and Innovative Design Institute and the China Agricultural Museum at the Xinzhuang Courtyard. Set against the “Lixia” (Start of Summer) solar term, the exhibition showcased 24 original illustrations in a romantic Chinese aesthetic, celebrating the unique charm of China’s agrarian culture and exploring the philosophy of harmony between humans and nature.

Art Education Classes: Hands-On Learning, Empowering Rural Art Education

The Qingmei Rural Creation Classes, such as the Xinzhuang Class, adopted an innovative “classrooms in villages” model, breaking traditional educational boundaries. The open courses facilitated knowledge exchange between local culture and contemporary creativity, enabling villagers to participate in community transformation while artists gained insight into rural needs.

Qingmei Market: University Art Creation Market

The Qingmei Market featured over 60 original art stalls from Tsinghua Academy of Arts & Design, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, and other institutions.

Spanning painting, sculpture, installation, handcrafts, and digital art, the market blended traditional skills with avant-garde experimentation. Interactive workshops and 12 ICH craft experiences allowed visitors to witness the creative process firsthand, fostering public appreciation of university art.

Group Photo of the THU ArtRoots Collective Plan Team

The THU ArtRoots Collective Plan embodies the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University’s mission of “art for life, design for the people.” It seeks to answer a pressing question: How can art become the voice of rural civilization, the mediator of urban-rural dialogue, and the guide for future villages?

THU ArtRoots Collective Plan Work Group

Chief Advisors: Qin Chuan, Ma Sai
Academic Guidance: Ma Quan, Zhang Hongjuan, Ding Hong
Curator: Wen Bo
Execution Team: Wang Xudong, Gao Manjun, Lin Guoxuan, Sun Xiaohui, Chen Xinrui, Tao Yijin