Background and Purposes

In 2019, with the joint support from the Xichang Government, the Organization Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Xichang Committee, and the International Affairs Division of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), SJTU introduced the Global Challenge Program of Cultural Innovation and Global Prestige Buildup for the City of Xichang under the theme“ SJTU’s Push for Cultural and Creative Empowerment”. 27 Chinese and international students from SJTU, the University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong were brought together in Xichang to brainstorm for building a more livable, business-friendly, and innovation-friendly urban culture. The successful delivery of the first phase of the Global Challenge Program for Xichang has spoken volumes about SJTU’s achievements in developing its humanities discipline, its cultural presence around the world and its effort to promote city development. It also has laid solid groundwork for ongoing cultural cooperation between SJTU and Xichang government.

This year, the project team has renewed their efforts in the Global Challenge Program with a high priority placed on cultural innovation and global appeal buildup in Xichang. Through in-depth cultural experience, field visits and research, workshops and creative projects, the team will help the city reinvigorate its culture, expand its cultural presence, and thus enhance its soft power, while striving to build a new brand of tourism and culture for the city with  collective wisdom. In the meantime, we will promote the development of the Xichang Industry-Education Innovation Base of the Center for Cooperation and Education Development of the USC-SJTU Institute of Cultural and Creative Industry (ICCI) by building a platform with a cluster of cultural and creative industries for students to to think, practice and create.

General Outline

In the 2021 project, more importance will be attached to application of project outcomes, sharing education resources about cultural and creative practice, and enhancing the capacity of students in creative design and cross-cultural exchanges. By so doing, we hope to attain the following targets:

1. Designing, creating and upgrading cultural and creative products for the cultural and tourism industry in Xichang.

2. Proposing detailed plans for an advertising campaign in Shanghai to promote Xichang’s healthcare ecotourism.

3. Building a digital platform for local specialties and cultural and creative products in Xichang.

4. Encouraging participants to give two or three livestreaming through integrated media for the promotion of the city.

5. Conducting field research on local cultural and creative human resources and on leadership development for the city.

6. Strenthening the development of the Xichang Industry-Education Innovation Base of the Center for Cooperation and Education Development of the ICCI, and helping local cultural and creative entrepreneurs to improve their overall competency and in particular global competence .

Management Guidelines

1. Student recruitment: SJTU International Affairs Division, assisted by the ICCI and SJTU School of Design, will recruit international students from all over the world.

2. Student management: The ICCI will give training for participants, supervise field visits, and ensure outcome application.

3. Local coordination and support: The SJTU Xichang Base will plan and manage the project budget, mobilize local resources, gurantee logistics, and promote closer linkage between project outcomes with local needs.

4. Funds management: The budget will be jointly developed by SJTU International Affairs Division, the SJTU Xichang Base, and the ICCI, and supervised in its use by SJTU International Affairs Division.

5. Outcome management: The ICCI will chart progress of the project and supervise students’ outcomes and their further application.

6. Industry-education integration: The ICCI will head up the industry-education integration and invite senior industrial executives as project advisors to ensure the sustainable development of the project.