Recently, the results of Shanghai “Silver Dove Award”, the 2024 Shanghai “International Communication of Chinese Culture” Project, were announced. “Shanghai Time”, a performance at the closing ceremony of the 47th World Skills Competition jointly submitted by Donghua University and other units, won the “Best Award.” Organized by the Information Office of Shanghai Municipality, the “Silver Dove Award” is the city’s highest honor in the field of international communication.
The paper costumes unveiled in the “Shanghai Time” performance at the closing ceremony of the World Skills Competition Lyon 2024 in France were designed, crafted, and presented by a team of teachers and students from DHU. Featuring 20 sets of eco-friendly paper art costumes and 10 sets of futuristic fashion series, these costumes drew inspiration from the millennia-old Chinese paper art, integrating traditional Chinese techniques such as paper-cutting and sunmao structures (mortise-and-tenon joint) with modern technologies like 3D printing and laser cutting. Bridging the East and the West, and connecting the ancient and the modern, they represented a harmonious fusion of Chinese fine traditional culture, modern science and technology, and sustainable ideas. Serving as a window for the world to understand China and Shanghai, these costumes have played an important role in enhancing Shanghai's influence and reputation in the global cityscape.
DHU collaborated with mainstream media to disseminate information about the performance through television, online videos, and social media platforms at home and abroad. According to statistics, more than 30 domestic and international media outlets, including China Daily, People's Daily Online, The Paper, and Global Times, conducted special reports on this project, all achieving high viewership and attention. After the performance, the costumes were added to the precious collection of the first World Skills Museum, where they will serve as invaluable firsthand resources for future research on skills alongside other historically significant and research-worthy skill-related items and documents from five continents.
The “Silver Dove Award” is a key annual award in the field of international communication in Shanghai. The outstanding works and projects recognized in the 2024 Shanghai International Communication Awards exhibit four major characteristics. First, they leveraged international and market-oriented strategies to enter the mainstream global cultural market and explored ways to engage mainstream overseas audiences through excellent Chinese cultural content products. Second, they deeply connected with mainstream international platforms such as festivals, exhibitions, and competitions, tapping resources from both China and abroad to bring “Shanghai Originals” and “Made in Shanghai” into the international spotlight. Third, they created new concepts, categories, or expressions that resonate both domestically and internationally, utilizing dialogue and exchange to facilitate mutual understanding and consensus. Lastly, they actively explored the integration of science and art to tell the Chinese story of Shanghai's development, attracting increasing international participation for mutual creation and win-win cooperation.
