Ahead of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, the institution is set to host a high-profile academic symposium on April 20, coinciding with the ongoing third installment of its landmark retrospective exhibition series, spotlighting the academy’s transformative progress in arts and design over the new century.

Symposium Details

The one-day symposium will take place on April 20, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., hosted across two venues: the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, and the Tsinghua University Art Museum.

Speakers (Listed in alphabetical order of the pinyin of their Chinese surnames)

Cai Daying, President, China National Arts & Crafts Society (CNACS)

Dong Zhanjun, President, Shandong University of Art and Design

Du Dakai, Distinguished Professor of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Tsinghua University

Fang Xiaofeng, Professor, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University; Editor-in-Chief of ZHUANGSHI Magazine

Leng Bingchuan, Tsinghua University Humanities Chair Professor

Li Xiangqun, Distinguished Professor of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Tsinghua University

Liu Guanzhong, Distinguished Professor of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Tsinghua University

Lu Xiaobo, Distinguished Professor of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Tsinghua University; Director, Tsinghua University Art Museum

Ma Sai, Professor, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University

Wang Hongjian, Distinguished Professor of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Tsinghua University

Wang Mingzhi, Distinguished Professor of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Tsinghua University

Wei Jie, Dean, School of Design, Jiangnan University

Xia Yanjing, Distinguished Professor, School of Humanities, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Yang Dongjiang, Chair, Academic Committee, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University

Zhang Linghao, President, Nanjing University of the Arts

Moderator

Wang Xiaomo, Vice Dean, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University

Exhibition Overview

Marking the upcoming 70th anniversary of the academy’s founding, this exhibition serves as the third installment of a retrospective series, following the successful presentations of "From the Seine to Guanghua Road: The Modernization of "Decoration'" and "Forms of the People: The Artistic Path of the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University".

Centered on the theme of "newness", this edition spotlights the new century and new era, organizing its content into four sections—New Regulations, New Models, New Visions, and New Narratives—which correspond to four core dimensions of the academy’s arts and design disciplines. The exhibition systematically maps the institution’s landmark achievements from this period, alongside the evolution of its educational philosophy and cultural lineage.

Going beyond formal aesthetic expressions, these works collectively embody the cultural consciousness of the academy’s faculty and students amid rapid social transformation, and reflect the increasingly profound reflections on aesthetics within arts and design, as the field confronts technological advancement, ethical scrutiny, and value judgment.

Exhibition Details

Duration: April 3, 2026 – May 5, 2026

Venue: Galleries 7 & 8, 4th Floor, Tsinghua University Art Museum

Curatorial Team

General Curators: Qin Chuan, Wu Qiong

Chief Curator: Fang Xiaofeng

Associate Curators: Liang Wen, Liu Ping, He Jing, Liang Kai, Chen Yunbing

Exhibition Coordinators: Wang Xiaomo, Wang Xiaoxin, Chen Lei

Exhibition Design: Cui Xiaosheng

Visual Design: Zhou Yue

Acknowledgements

Academy History Exhibition Hall, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University; Editorial Office of ZHUANGSHI