Shandong Business Vocational College: Promoting Intangible Cultural Heritage through Handcrafted Arts and Developing Design Talent through Vocational Competitions
Yantai Paper-cutting, Laizhou Straw Braiding, Yantai Woolen Needlepoint Tapestry... These diverse handcrafted arts, deeply rooted in a long-standing tradition of aesthetic living, are collectively known as—"Shandong Handicrafts". Recently, the Interior Art Design major at the School of Art Design, Shandong Business Vocational College, organized a handicraft art design skills competition themed "Harmony". The event aimed to promote the in-depth development of the program and curriculum reform, in support of the "Implementation Plan for the 'Shandong Handicrafts' Promotion Project". The competition encouraged students to explore techniques, hone their skills, and achieve success through expertise. It also fostered a social trend of valuing traditional culture and cultivating a professional atmosphere of striving for excellence. The event promoted the spirit of labor and facilitated the creative transformation and innovative development of outstanding traditional Chinese culture.
Teachers actively participated in building the "Handicraft Heritage Platform" through competitions. In line with the publicity and promotion of "Remarkable Shandong", the college guided participating students to promote the core socialist values and improve their design innovation skills, with the theme of "Harmony". Professional teachers worked together to plan and organize the competition effectively. All students participated and produced outstanding works such as "Elegant Charm of Tie-dyed Butterflies" and "Fortune Dragon Dolls-Thousand Layer Cotton Shoes". These works demonstrated the students' vibrant creative passion. The school competition was aligned with the evaluation standards of the Handicraft Art Design Awards in the National Vocational College Skills Competition, bringing together intangible cultural heritage practitioners in fields such as straw braiding and woolen needlepoint tapestry. This initiative aimed to explore the creation of a one-stop service platform for "the design and development of intangible cultural heritage handicraft products—supply chain production—online marketing".
Handicrafts have entered the classroom, and joint efforts are being made to promote "Chinese Traditional Handicrafts". The college, in line with the deep implementation of the project for inheriting and developing outstanding traditional Chinese culture, has effectively integrated traditional craftsmanship into classrooms, minds, and textbooks. It aims to launch the "Jiaodong Handcrafted Golden Brand Course" as soon as possible to contribute the "wisdom of Shandong Business Vocational College" to the development of the cultural and creative industries. The college is also planning and promoting industry-education integration initiatives, such as the "Jiaodong Handcrafted Customized Classes", and is working to establish a "Virtual Teaching and Research Office" to create a powerful cultural and industrial force.
Next, the School of Art Design will take "applying new digital technologies to empower handicraft skills" as the starting point for talent cultivation, focus on the "National Catalogue for the Revitalization of Traditional Crafts", and emphasize the integration of creative design with regional characteristics and folk culture. The school will concentrate efforts on promoting the prosperity and development of outstanding Jiaodong traditional culture and stimulating the internal driving force of the handicraft industry.
(Correspondent: Zhang Bei)
