On July 25th, the Seventh China-Africa People’s Forum and the Seventh China-Africa Youth Leaders Forum were held in Changsha, China. There were more than 200 attendees, including the officials, former officials, political parties, youth leaders, as well as the representatives of non-governmental organizations and think tanks from over 50 African countries.

The team led by Professor Liu Hui, a doctoral supervisor and the Director of the Cultural Heritage Innovation Center of College of Fashion and Design, Donghua University (DHU), was invited to attend this international forum. On the spot, they showcased the production and research achievements in intangible cultural heritage clothing and creation. Among them, the “Shanghai style hand-drawn pipa (a kind of plucked string instrument)”, combining local homespun, Pudong-styled pipa, and exquisite hand-drawn patterns, attracted much attention. This excellent, typical item is an integrated showcase of traditional Chinese weaving, drawing, music, and handmade woodcut, manifesting the deep integration of education and production achieved by this institute of DHU in recent years, as well as the school’s active exploration in empowering the inheritance and protection of national cultural heritage.

(A display of the cultural heritage achievements)

In this forum, DHU has played an active leading role of university think tank, seeking innovative models continuously to facilitate more research achievements to develop into practical products. Meanwhile, such international communication has further strengthened people-to-people bond.