News Web (Text by Liao Meinuan from Art & Design School, Photo by Ma Yun, Lin Tong from Art & Design School) The series activities on the Seventh Open Week to Enterprises and Graduation Exhibition for Students of Grade 2018 in the Art & Design School have been closed successfully on December 19, 2017. During the exhibition, students of all majors have exhibited their most excellent works for graduation, which attracts a vast of students and teachers, enterprises of relevant industries and guests from peer institutions for visiting and communication. The audience gives a positive response. A group of graduation design works named "Dream Back to Tang Dynasty" are especially attractive, which becomes a highlight of this exhibition. 

This group of works are accompanied jointly by Wei Jingrou, Qin Kongfeng, Li Meihua and other students majoring in the Advertisement of grade 2015, under the instruction of Teacher Lin Tong, a senior craft artist from the Art & Design School. This exhibition hall is named as "Tangchao Village", which is decorated with graphics featured with elements of Dong Ethnic Group. The exhibited works relate to brand image design, design of packages for agricultural and special local products as well as travel items design mainly patterned with graphics featured with elements of Dong Ethnic Group, including sweet potato package design, preserved meat package design, tea package design, design of Dong elements for phone shell, design of Dong elements for throw pillow, design of Dong elements for commemorative badge and that for various other types.

According to Lin Tong, Tangchao Village in Dudong Town of Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County is an impoverished village specific to Liuzhou Vocational & Technical College. In September 2015, Yan Zhibin (a teacher from our College) was dispatched to Tangchao Village acting as the "Major Secretary” out there. In October 2017, Lin Tong, Lu Jin, Zhu Yan and other teachers visited and investigated Tangchao Village with the support of the Poverty Relief Office in our College at the invitation of the Villagers' Committee of Tangchao Village, who have provided technical support for the industrial development of impoverished villages and developed the program of "alleviating poverty via cultural and art industry" by giving full play to their professional and technological advantages. They explore and develop the abundant cultural and art resources of Dong Ethnic Group and combine the characteristic culture and art of the minorities with rural tourism industry to further promote the fame and reputation of Tangchao Village, which facilitates the development of local tourism and agricultural economy.

After investigation, the teachers bring the concept of "alleviating poverty via cultural and art industry" to their class, enabling their students to know Tangchao Village and its geographical features, appreciate the culture of Dong Ethnic Group and taste the local customs. Finally, the elements of Dong Ethnic Group which are originated from life but higher than life come out through joint efforts by the students. They are applied in brand image design, design of packages for local products, travel items design and fashion design, which brings brand visual image of the whole Tangchao Village into focus. Meanwhile it is hoped that the idea of further carrying forward the culture of Tangchao Village in Dudong Town and building a better Dong village through joint efforts will be propagated to the public thorough this graduation exhibition. 

In recent years, the Art & Design School has always adhered to the development thoughts of "trying to establish a national culture with distinct characteristics relying on demands for local economic and cultural development of Liuzhou City", developed pertinent curriculum according to respective characteristics of all specialties and infiltrated the awareness of promoting ethnic culture into teaching of the specialized courses, which has gained quite good achievements. Teachers and students take their initiatives to create this series of design works Dream Back to Tang Dynasty integrating with the poverty alleviation program, which is a very successful case.

Upon completion of this exhibition, the series of design works Dream Back to Tang Dynasty will be shown up on the opening ceremony of handcraft art base in Tangchao Village, Dudong Town upon invitation and exhibited in the "Workshop for Handcrafts of Dong Ethnic Group", which has created a new path for the program of alleviating poverty via cultural and art industry.

The President Shi Lingming Visiting and Communicating with Students & Teachers in the Exhibition of Tangchao Village

Design Works of "Dream Back to Tang Dynasty" Series

Poster: Introduction of the Works