Yantai Huang-Bohai New Area: Delivering Aesthetic Education Courses to Doorsteps, Exploring New Pathways for Universal Aesthetic Education Through University-City Collaboration
Qilu Network · Shandian News, June 13, 2025 – On the afternoon of June 13, 2025, Yantai Huang-Bohai New Area convened a press conference themed “Advancing Aesthetic Education and Community-Based Aesthetic Education Initiatives Through University-City Collaboration”. The conference released the work achievements of the New Area’s Universal Aesthetic Education Enhancement Project and the cultivation of community-based aesthetic education brands. It also announced the collaborative establishment of the Huang-Bohai New Area Aesthetic Education Heritage Training Center and the Huang-Bohai New Area Community Aesthetic Education Co-Construction Base.
Like a life-giving spring breeze and rain, aesthetic education has a salutary influence. In recent years, taking the “Universal Aesthetic Education Quality Improvement Action” as the driving force, the New Area has deeply integrated the philosophy of “educating people with aesthetics” into the urban development and residents’ daily lives, establishing a universal aesthetic education system characterized by integrating social resources with aesthetic education, showcasing aesthetics through festive landmarks, and cultivating aesthetic through community spaces.
“Relying on the strong synergy of university-city collaboration, the innovative drive of digital technology, and the collaborative efforts of all sectors of society, the New Area has achieved efficient integration of social resources, innovative empowerment of festive landmarks, and deepened expansion of pilot community construction by establishing a social aesthetic education matrix, creating 'aesthetic education +' diversified communication carriers, and fostering a community-based aesthetic education ecosystem,” introduced Jiang Xuejun, Deputy Director of the Publicity and Mass Organizations Department of the Huang-Bohai New Area Working Committee, at the press conference. The New Area is committed to transforming the philosophy of aesthetic education into residents’ ways of thinking and behavioral norms, elevating them into the city’s humanistic sentiments and cultural ethos, making “educating people through aesthetics and cultivating people through culture” a beautiful landscape.
As a key physical support for the social aesthetic education matrix, university-city collaboration plays an indispensable role in promoting educational services for local development and facilitating cultural inheritance and innovation. In 2025, the Publicity and Mass Organizations Department of the Huang-Bohai New Area Working Committee reached a deep cooperation with Yantai Engineering & Technology College to jointly build two major platforms: the Huang-Bohai New Area Aesthetic Education Heritage Training Center and the Community Aesthetic Education Co-Construction Base.
“Centering on the two platforms, both sides will carry out in-depth cooperation in five key areas: teacher training of aesthetic education, specialized curriculum development, research and exchange of aesthetic education, artistic performances and exhibitions, and theme-based cultural and creative product development,” explained Gong Huarong, Vice President of Yantai Engineering & Technology College. In addition, relying on the “Dual Registration and Dual Commitment” mechanism, the two sides will explore the university-city collaborative pattern of “Party building-led, four-dimensional coordination”, focusing on integrating digital technology with cultural services, intangible cultural heritage inheritance, aesthetic education practices and other co-developing projects in people’s livelihood service fields.
As the forefront of aesthetic education, community aesthetic education plays a vital role in popularizing aesthetic education and enriching residents’ spiritual and cultural lives. In recent years, Yantai Huang-Bohai New Area has attached great importance to community-based aesthetic education, resulting in flourishing traditional culture and a new ethos of aesthetic education in communities.
“By focusing on the aesthetic education needs of all age groups, integrating specialized aesthetic education resources, and deepening pilot community development, Fulaishan Sub-district has built a ‘1+N’ community aesthetic education ecosystem demonstrated by Guo’ao Community and advanced by the other six community matrices, including Fengcheng Community and Haixin Community, introduced Fan Zuncai, Deputy Director of Fulaishan Sub-district. Over the past year since the implementation of the first batch of aesthetic education pilot communities, Guo’ao Community has created 8 major aesthetic education scenarios and transformed 21 multi-functional activity venues for aesthetic education through carrying out four major aesthetic education immersive improvement projects. Through diverse aesthetic education practice activities, these efforts enhanced the community governance synergy. Nowadays, the increasingly beautiful communities and enhanced quality of life of residents stand as the most heartwarming rewards for community residents through these aesthetic education efforts.
In 2025, in order to continuously empower community aesthetic education, Yantai Engineering & Technology College will leverage its professional faculty resources to form an aesthetic education expert team, and create “all-age” high-quality courses for communities oriented by residents’ actual needs, allowing residents to enjoy high-quality course experiences at their doorsteps. Fulaishan Sub-district will collaborate with the college to upgrade the Guo’ao Community Aesthetic Education program to version 2.0, innovatively launch characteristic projects such as “Mulberry Twilight Academy” (community learning center for senior citizens) and “Red Scarf Residential Building Coordinator?,” forming a dual-improvement model of “spatial re-engineering + community cohesion renewal,” and continuously enhancing the popularity of community aesthetic education brands. Guo’ao Community will continue to extend its impact to six aesthetic education demonstration communities, actively explore integrated development models such as “aesthetic education + Party building,” “aesthetic education + civic credit,” and “aesthetic education + civilization,” injecting new vitality into grassroots governance.
At present, Yantai Huang-Bohai New Area is establishing a diversified and vibrant urban aesthetic education new ecosystem through university-city integration, core carrier development, large-scale event promotion, and foundational community cultivation. The New Area will take university-city collaboration as an opportunity to continuously explore new pathways for universal aesthetic education, striving to make universal aesthetic education an important driving force for the high-quality development of the New Area.
Shandian News Journalist: Dong Luoying, Yantai
