From September 29th to October 10th, over ten students and faculty members from Beijing Normal University's School of Future Design embarked on a 12-day cultural exchange journey in Kyrgyzstan, starting from Zhuhai, Guangdong. This program, "International Youth Student Designer Exchange," is a collaborative effort between the School of Future Design at Beijing Normal University and the Youth Design Thinking and Innovation Development Center, aiming to facilitate cultural exchange among young student designers.

The project creates a platform for cross-border communication and collaboration among universities to offer opportunities for youth student designers to interact. By encouraging innovative design collaborations, it seeks to foster a deeper understanding of different cultures, promote Chinese culture, and establish bridges for international cooperation.

This cultural exchange initiative received enthusiastic support from the Embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic in China and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic. Participating local universities included Kyrgyz State Technical University, Issyk-Kul State University, Osh State University, Naryn State University, and Batken State University.

Strengthening Cultural Exchange and Enhancing International Cooperation

During this cultural exchange, students and faculty from Beijing Normal University's School of Future Design visited three prominent universities in Kyrgyzstan and were warmly welcomed by local students and faculty. Each of these universities organized welcome ceremonies featuring their unique traditions to greet their guest.

An educational seminar initiated by the "International Youth Student Designer Exchange" program was held at Kyrgyz State Technical University. Attendees included Mirlan Chynybaev, President of Kyrgyz National Technical University; A. Asiev, Vice President; Koenaliev Kylychbek, Dean of the Design School; Gao Peng, Dean of the Beijing Normal University's School of Future Design; Li Congrong, Youth Design Thinking and Innovation Development Center; And Liang Xu, Zhong Xu, Liu An, Gong Shuai the faculty members from Beijing Normal University's School of Future Design. The seminar revolved around how Chinese and Kyrgyz students could enhance mutual understanding, friendship, and design innovation capabilities through cooperation.

To strengthen international exchanges and collaborations, Beijing Normal University's School of Future Design engaged in extensive discussions with Kyrgyz National Technical University, Issyk-Kul State University, Osh State University, and planned for deeper cooperation in talent development, curriculum sharing, student and faculty exchanges, joint research, and project partnerships.

Hosting Design Workshops to Share Chinese Stories

In an effort to communicate Chinese stories and share Chinese culture, teachers from Beijing Normal University's School of Future Design, Liu An and Gong Shuai, introduced traditional Chinese art forms such as "Shadow Puppetry" and "Tie-Dyeing" to the campuses of Kyrgyzstan. This allowed local students to experience the depth and breadth of Chinese culture. Furthermore, students from Beijing Normal University's School of Future Design, in collaboration with local students, conducted a series of design activities from a cross-cultural and innovative perspective, considering the cultural customs of Kyrgyzstan.

Experiencing Traditional Folk Culture to Strengthen Sino-Kyrgyz Friendship

During the cultural exchange, students and faculty from Beijing Normal University's School of Future Design participated in various local traditional and folk cultural activities. This included attending a fashion show at Issyk-Kul State University, experiencing the art of making felt yurts, and visiting a traditional ethnic clothing design studio.

Mirlan Chynybaev, President of Kyrgyz National Technical University, expressed that these activities allowed Chinese students and faculty to understand Kyrgyzstan's history, art, language, and customs, enabling them to better share Chinese culture and educational experiences with local students and fostering deeper Sino-Kyrgyz friendship. Whether it's railway construction or the Luban Workshop project, design thinking plays an indispensable role, and Kyrgyzstan looks forward to the continued support from Beijing Normal University's School of Future Design.

Gao Peng, Dean of the Beijing Normal University's School of Future Design, stated that the students and faculty at the school come from various academic backgrounds, and they anticipate that this cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural exchange will provide robust support for future design projects. They plan to establish a long-term exchange framework with the three Kyrgyzstan universities, strengthen the friendship between China and Kyrgyzstan even further. Myrzabekov Nurjigit, Director of the Media Department of the Ministry of Education and Science of Kyrgyzstan, mentioned that this exchange program provides Chinese and Kyrgyz students with an opportunity to understand each other's cultures, contributing to cultural exchange and cooperation based on mutual respect. They hope that Chinese and Kyrgyz students can design distinctive and cutting-edge works through cultural exchange and intellectual collisions in the near future.