“New Concept” ICH Cultural Creations Co-Creating a New Vision of Mobility Living Aesthetics
The “Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University-BMW Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Protection and Innovation Base 2025 CSR Achievement Launch Event” was held at the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University. The event marked the debut of “BMW Neue Klasse Concept ICH Cultural Creations,” co-created by ICH inheritors in collaboration with faculty and students from the Academy.
The showcase featured an array of innovative “new species” bridging millennia-old heritage with modern industry: from Xianqi-Xinyun (String Awakening-New Resonance), a modern reinterpretation of the ancient guqin connecting past and future; to Liuguang (Flowing Light), mobile energy art pieces incorporating Tang Sancai (Tang tri-color glazed pottery) techniques; to the adorable Miao embroidery BAVA Bear series; and Shixu Zhixi (Breath of Seasons), an in-car fragrance collection embodying the wisdom of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms. These creations not only amazed attendees with their contemporary expressions of traditional craftsmanship but also unveiled a new chapter of deep collaboration in ICH protection and innovation.
Wu Qiong, Dean of the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University (left), and Zhang Lei, Director of the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University - BMW ICH Protection and Innovation Base (right) delivered opening remarks at the event.
Dean Wu Qiong emphasized: “The value of intangible cultural heritage lies not only in the transmission of techniques but also in the contemporary regeneration of its craftsmanship wisdom, ecological concepts, and living aesthetics. This regeneration is essentially a creative dialogue between tradition and modernity.”
The Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University-BMW ICH Protection and Innovation Base has constructed a bridge between tradition and modernity, creating synergy among the Academy’s academic and design capabilities, BMW’s industrial and incubation resources, and ICH inheritors’ artisanal skills—transforming ICH from “protected heritage” into “resources driving innovation.”
Birgit Böhm-Wannenwetsch, President and CEO of BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd. , stated: “Today’s heritage was yesterday’s innovation; tomorrow’s legacy is today’s innovation. This is the core philosophy behind our support for ICH transmission: by combining the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University’s leading design capabilities with the exquisite craftsmanship of ICH inheritors, we help cultural heritage enter modern life in entirely new forms and expressions.”
Zhang Lei, Director of the Base and Chair of the Industrial Design Department, reviewed the 2025 collaborative work between ICH inheritors and faculty and students, noting: “The Academy adheres to the principles of ‘inheriting through innovation’ and ‘learning by doing,’ closely integrating traditional ICH techniques with modern life. The innovative achievements exhibited today are outstanding embodiments of this philosophy.”
ICH Inheritors and Co-Creation Mentors Share Project Insights
I. When Millennia-Old Craftsmanship Meets Neue Klasse: The Innovation Logic Behind Multiple “ICH New Species”
The launch event showcased several cultural creations that vividly illustrate the fusion possibilities of “ICH + Design.” These are not simple “technique grafting” but rather reconstructions of the relationship between ICH and modern life based on user needs.
Xianqi · Xinyun (String Awakening · New Resonance)
Connecting Past and Future Through Strings
The guqin, crafted from silk strings and paulownia wood into an elegant instrument, has condensed a thousand years of literati spirit within its seven strings. This project rewrites this thousand-year elegance by reconstructing the guqin’s form with contemporary aesthetics and integrating it into future mobility scenarios.
Liuguang (Flowing Light) Mobile Energy Art Piece
Liberating Tang Sancai from Its “Ornament” Identity
Tang Sancai ICH inheritors, with design team from the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University drew inspiration from the technological aesthetics of large cylindrical batteries, transplanting this traditional glazing technique onto power banks. Inheritors hand-mix glazes and fire them at high temperatures, making each power bank’s glaze pattern and texture unique—breaking the cold uniformity of industrial products and endowing mass-produced goods with the customized warmth of handicrafts. “This isn't about making Tang Sancai ‘smaller,’ but making it a ‘cultural symbol’ that young people want to carry with them.”
Miao Embroidery BAVA Bear
“Weaving Dreams, Driving Embroidery” Miao Embroidery Series—Making Ethnic Craftsmanship a “Cultural Ambassador”
Miao embroidery inheritors from the mountains of Yunnan Province collaborated with the design team from the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, centering on “restoration+innovation” to develop a Miao embroidery series covering apparel, home goods, and automotive accessories. The Miao embroidery BAVA Bear became the event's focal point: the BAVA Bear character from Bavaria, Germany, now wears Miao embroidery clothing incorporating the iconic “kidney grille” design elements—red embroidered threads outlining geometric patterns derived from the ancient Miao “migration map,” while blue threads echo the brand’s color palette. “We hope that through this adorable IP character, Miao embroidery can leave the mountains: as car decoration, as gifts for friends, and as a bridge connecting ethnic culture with international trends.”
Shixu Zhixi (Breath of Seasons) Four Seasons In-Car Fragrance
Bringing the Twenty-Four Solar Terms “Into” the Cabin
The ICH inheritor of Taihe Xiangtang ancient incense-making techniques from Henan Province collaborated with the design team from the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University. Inspired by the “Twenty-Four Solar Terms” themed vehicle display, they jointly extracted representative plant and floral fragrances for each of the four seasons. Each fragrance formula originates from traditional incense-blending techniques, while the carrier design is adapted for automotive spaces. When users switch fragrances, the vehicle's interior space unfolds the natural flow of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, collectively constructing a sensory experience where “people, vehicles, and nature” truly resonate in harmony.
II. The River of Culture Forever Flows Forward
“Cultural transmission is not about returning to the past, but another way of moving toward the future.” Dean Wu Qiong concluded with this statement in her closing remarks, summarizing the original intention behind the collaboration. The partnership consistently strives to ensure that ICH is no longer a “specimen” sealed in history but rather “living culture” that integrates into daily life, appeals to young people, and can be internationally disseminated.
While this launch event has concluded, the exploration of ICH innovation continues. In the future, the Base will document inheritors’ creative stories through documentaries and social media, allowing more people to witness the craftsmanship and innovation behind ICH. Meanwhile, the output of academic papers and commercial transformation case studies will provide replicable paradigms for “ICH protection and innovation” across the industry.
Event Scene at the Launch
Exhibition Scene
Group Photo of Event Attendees and ICH Inheritors
