On April 23 and 24, the "Chinese Rhythm, Italian Spirit" Digital and Intelligent Intangible Cultural Heritage Design Dialogue & Exemplary Rural Revitalization Practices Exhibition, was held at the Academic Hall of the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana in Milan, Italy. It was an official event of the Milan Design Week 2026.
Zhang Chenggang, consul general of China in Milan; Sergio Gaddi, member of the Regional Council of Lombardy; Francesco Vassallo, deputy mayor of the Metropolitan City of Milan; Marco Navoni, director of the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana; and Stefano Boeri, president of the Triennale Milano and also an architect, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches. The event was hosted by Maria Rosa Azzolina, president of the Italy-China Friendship Association.
The opening ceremony featured three thematic achievement exhibitions. Focusing on "Craft and Code" Plan A (rtifact) and combined with featured projects, HNU showcased its outcomes in exploring digital-intelligent revitalization of intangible cultural heritage and social innovation. At the "Design Empowering Rural Revitalization" Plan C (ommunity) section of the exhibition, HNU as the secretary-general member of the Alliance of Universities under the Ministry of Education for Assisting in Intangible Cultural Heritage (Cultural and Creative), systematically presented its "New Tongdao" design and social innovation project which has been carried out for over a decade, along with representative cases from other alliance members including Tsinghua University.
During the curator's statement session, Professor Ji Tie from HNU School of Design delivered a speech focusing on "Design and Social Innovation Through Human-AI Co-creation." He reviewed the cultural and social innovation collaboration with Italy, and expounded on the core purpose of the exhibition — to carry out global human-AI co-creation and cross-cultural innovation in the context of the AI era.
During the award ceremony, Maria Rosa Azzolina granted HNU the "Intelligent Creation Award." She also presented HNU with a reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci's manuscript as a precious gift for the 1,050th anniversary of the founding of Yuelu Academy and the 100th anniversary of the naming of Hunan University, symbolizing the continued friendly cooperation between China and Italy.
The exhibition was co-organized by the Italy-China Friendship Association, the Key Laboratory of Digital Cultural and Creative Intelligent Design Technology (Ministry of Culture and Tourism), and the Alliance of Universities under the Ministry of Education for Assisting in Intangible Cultural Heritage (Cultural and Creative), and was undertaken by HNU, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, and Sichuan Normal University. The curatorial team from HNU School of Design consisted of Ji Tie, Min Xiaolei, Wang Luo, Meng Han, Pan Ying, Chen Keyi, Peng Jia, Zhuo Yiqun, and Huo Chenxuyang, who participated in the core curatorial work throughout the event.
President Azzolina presents a reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci's manuscript to HNU.
Group photo of the curatorial team.
