On this Teachers’ Day, we pay tribute to every guiding light in the classroom, to all educators who dedicate themselves to China’s art education, tirelessly nurturing minds and aesthetics. To them, we say: Thank you for your hard work. Happy Teachers’ Day!

May the light of education and the beauty of art remain pure and passionate forever.

Yu Wanying

Deputy Head of the Student Affairs Working Group, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University
Associate Professor, Department of Painting
Recipient of Tsinghua University’s 2024 “Outstanding Young Teacher Teaching Award”

Teaching Philosophy
To enlighten through art,educating both skill and soul. The core of art education lies not merely in technical mastery but in cultivating aesthetic sensibility. It begins with intuition and imagination, integrates critical thinking, and fosters cultural understanding, art-historical perspective, and lived experience, ultimately manifesting in artistic creation. Creation is not just technique; it is a fusion of research and innovation.

Innovation in Teaching
In one assignment, students were asked to sculpt their own portraits blindfolded, using only touch to shape clay. After completing the task, a student shared: “I pressed my fingers deep into the eye sockets, believing it was enough. But when I removed the blindfold, I realized how shallow they were. It made me question: Which sense, vision or touch, reveals truer spatial perception?” This moment reaffirmed my belief: Teaching should transcend foundational knowledge and skills, it should ignite interdisciplinary thinking and self-reflection.

Teachers’ Day Message
Art education nurtures emotional and intellectual growth. It equips you to appreciate humanity’s artistic legacy, sharpens your observational and creative acuity, emboldens exploration, and helps you find your unique voice, where life meets poetry and beyond.

Ma Wenjia

Deputy Party Secretary, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University
Associate Professor, Department of Sculpture
Recipient of Tsinghua University’s 2022 “Outstanding Young Teacher Teaching Award”

Teaching Philosophy
To cultivate builders and successors of socialism with Chinese characteristics, instilling a sense of national responsibility, “bearing the nation’s aspirations in mind”—and a commitment to serving strategic national goals.

Innovation in Teaching
By integrating multidisciplinary resources, courses emphasize real-world engagement. For instance, rural revitalization projects, such as art-driven design and aesthetic education—became themes for fieldwork. Student teams collaborated on solutions, blending academic rigor with societal impact. Outcomes were applied in Jiangsu’s Yixing Gaocheng Town and Zhejiang’s Quzhou Changshan County, featured in People’s Daily, CCTV, and China Education Daily. Twelve student sculptures from the Creative Fieldwork course were showcased in Yixing’s “Art Illuminates the Countryside” initiative, boosting local tourism and aesthetic literacy. Participants were appointed as “Art Village Directors” to sustain long-term engagement, merging artistic training with social innovation.

Teachers’ Day Message
Embrace diversity, it defines youth. Let’s tackle what’s important, not just urgent, together.

Wang Xiaomo

Assistant Dean, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University
Associate Professor, Department of Art History
Recipient of Tsinghua University’s 2020 “Outstanding Young Teacher Teaching Award” and First Prize in the 11th Beijing Young Teachers’ Teaching Competition (Humanities)

Teaching Philosophy
To examine “design phenomena” through interdisciplinary lenses, fostering professional resonance. Cultivate an aesthetic perspective on lifestyles and human-object relationships, infused with design ethics and social values.

Innovation in Teaching

1.Contextual Storytelling: Using narrative to connect history with the present, theory with practice.

2.Tangible Learning: Bringing iconic design objects into classrooms for hands-on analysis, from sensory engagement to rational critique.

Teachers’ Day Message
Let curiosity guide you. Beyond grades and boundaries, find inspiration in design history, where objects whisper stories of their times.

Zhang Shanshan

Associate Professor, Department of Painting
Recipient of the 2018 “Outstanding Young Teacher Teaching Award”

Teaching Philosophy
Rooted in tradition, liberated in expression.

Innovation in Teaching
In Color (Portraiture), students grapple with tone, temperature, form-color unity, and compositional complexity. Prioritizing perception over technique, I employ layered instruction and nested re-creation. For example:

·Limited-Palette Drills: Restricting students to 5–6 colors to explore chromatic harmony.

·Emotive Color Scenarios: Encouraging advanced learners to invent narratives (e.g., “Melancholy Afternoon,” “Fierce Memory”), transforming observation into personal expression.

Teachers’ Day Message
Art is the sincere language of life and emotion. Only those who love it deeply can sustain the daily rigor of seeing, practicing, and thinking, and move others. Stay curious, empathetic, and unshackled by trends. Your palette mirrors your soul; let every hue speak your truth.

窗体顶端

Liu Ya

Assistant Professor, Department of Textile and Fashion Design
Recipient of Tsinghua University’s 2023 "Academic Newcomer Award"

Teaching Philosophy
“Honor tradition, embrace innovation, blend East and West, nurture individuality.” Upholding the academy’s legacy while integrating global pedagogical approaches, I aim to cultivate a new generation of innovative designers. Emphasizing design-driven innovation, I explore disciplinary boundaries and future possibilities through novel materials, technologies, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Innovation in Teaching
In Textile and Apparel Design, the project “Print Design: Identity Experiments” challenges students to explore self-expression through experimental patterns and fashion concepts using mixed media. The curriculum bridges pattern creation to garment integration, examining how motifs interact with fabric, cut, silhouette, and style, pushing the limits of avant-garde aesthetics.

Teachers’ Day Message
May your hearts shine like stars and your eyes glow like the moon, illuminating your path with truth, kindness, and beauty. Joy be with you always, here’s to a brilliant future!

Li Jing

Associate Professor, Department of Arts and Crafts, AADTHU
Recipient of Tsinghua University’s 2019 “Academic Newcomer Award”

Teaching Philosophy
Aligned with Tsinghua’s “Three Pillars” education model (values, capabilities, knowledge), I balance technical craftsmanship with artistic thinking, guiding students to become culturally grounded, skilled, and globally minded creatives.

Innovation in Teaching
In courses like Glassblowing and Lampworking Glass, I employ a “Learn-Observe-Read-Record-Create-Practice-Reflect” framework. General and specialized education merge to foster individuality and critical thinking. Hands-on practice and collaborative discussions ignite creativity, while graduate training integrates exhibitions and workshops to sharpen independent research and artistry.

Teachers’ Day Message
May art forever nourish your souls and culture refine your spirits. Hone your craft with dedication, and grow into artists who carry both national pride and the zeitgeist of our times.

Jiao Yang

Assistant Research Fellow, Tsinghua University Future Laboratory
First Prize, 13th Beijing Young Teachers’ Teaching Competition (Humanities Group)

Teaching Philosophy
"Interdisciplinary fusion drives innovation; human-centric design deepens responsibility." I merge cutting-edge interactive technology with empathetic design to address real-world needs.

Innovation in Teaching
Design must center users. My classes use embodied experiences and immersive scenarios to build empathy. For example:

·In tactile feedback design, students program smartphone vibration motors, adjusting amplitude and frequency to map psychophysical principles, transforming abstract theory into tangible understanding.

·For visually impaired users, we joined “Dialogue in the Dark” workshops. After navigating darkness guided by a “sighted” leader (later revealed to be blind), students shifted from functional design to equity-driven empathy, redefining inclusivity.

Teachers’ Day Message
May your designs bridge technology’s warmth with humanity’s depth, and may innovation always measure the soul of progress!