To deeply implement the national strategy of opening up education to the world, deepen educational cooperation and academic exchanges between Chinese and German universities, and contribute to the construction of Beijing as a "City of Design," Beijing City University (BCU) grandly hosted the Opening Ceremony of the Sino-German Cooperative Education Program and the 1st International Youth Academic Week from March 16 to 20, 2026. Themed "Sino-German Integration: Design Empowerment," the event gathered leaders, experts, scholars, and student representatives from both countries. Through a series of featured activities, it built a high-level platform for international exchange and talent cultivation, comprehensively showcasing the school's internationalized educational characteristics of "Design + Technology" and injecting new momentum into the cultivation of compound design talents with both patriotic sentiments and international perspectives.

German guests attending the event included Mr. Martin Adam, Chancellor of Mediadesign Hochschule (MD.H), Executive Director of the China-Germany Education Industry Association, and Assessor of the Berlin Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Lu Jianeng, Dean of the International College at MD.H; and Liang Rongxin, Project Coordinator of the China-Germany Program at MD.H. BCU leaders and guests included Professor Ye Yingfang, Vice Chair of University Council of BCU; Professor Wang Limin, Vice President of BCU and Dean of the School of Arts and Design; Li Xuemeng, Deputy Director of the International Affairs Office; Professor Liu Feifei, Director of the China-Germany Design and Technology Innovation Center; as well as all middle-level leaders and faculty members of the School of Arts and Design. The Academic Week was hosted throughout by Wang Wenxi, Secretary of the China-Germany Design and Technology Innovation Center.

On the afternoon of March 16, a tea party for the Opening Ceremony warmly kicked off, serving as a prelude to cross-cultural exchange for the Academic Week. Li Yuge, a student representative from the 2025 Sino-German cooperative program, shared her gains from the program, providing valuable insights and experience for the students present. Cao Xiyan and Han Xincheng from the School of International Culture and Communication shared their professional learning experiences and exchange study experiences in Germany. The event featured wonderful performances and a warm, harmonious atmosphere. Students' dance and song performances fully demonstrated the vibrant and upward-striving youthful spirit of BCU students. During the event, Lu Jianeng and Liang Rongxin presented carefully prepared cultural exchange commemorative gifts to each student. The warm interactions enhanced the friendship between Chinese and German teachers and students, effectively strengthening students' sense of belonging and identity with the Sino-German cooperative program, and laying a solid emotional foundation for the subsequent series of activities.

On the morning of March 17, the Opening Ceremony of the Sino-German Cooperative Education Program was officially held, with leaders and guests from both sides jointly drawing a blueprint for the program's development. In her speech, Professor Ye Yingfang pointed out that the China-Germany cooperative education program is an important initiative for the school to serve national strategies and promote educational internationalization. Relying on the high-quality educational resources of both universities, the program precisely meets the development needs in the field of Digital Media Art, focusing on cultivating compound talents with artistic literacy, technological capabilities, and international perspectives. She encouraged all students to cherish the internationalized learning platform, study diligently and think critically, delve into their majors, adhere to the integration of art and engineering, uphold fundamental principles while pioneering new approaches, keep their country in mind and look out at the world, tell China's stories well in digital language, and strive to grow into Digital Media Art talents with global competitiveness, contributing their youthful strength to the development of the national cultural and creative industries and China-Germany cultural exchanges.

In his speech, Mr. Martin Adam stated that the Sino-German cooperative education program, officially approved by the Ministry of Education of China, is an important outcome of the deep cooperation between the two universities. Relying on MD.H's profound academic accumulation of nearly twenty years in digital media, film and television, and creative education, and integrating the educational and industrial advantages of Beijing and Berlin, the program is committed to creating a top-tier learning environment that combines technological innovation and artistic creativity for students. He expressed sincere gratitude for the hard work of the Chinese faculty and encouraged the students that, starting this semester, the MD.H foreign professor teaching session will officially begin. The two universities will accompany and fully support the students' academic growth and future development throughout the process, serving as their most solid backing on their learning journey, whether in Beijing or Berlin.

Liang Rongxin provided a detailed explanation of the curriculum system, dual-degree certification standards, high-quality teaching resources, and diversified pathways for further studies and employment of the China-Germany cooperative education program. She emphasized that the program takes "Design + Technology" as its core cultivation concept, focusing on the dual cultivation of students' practical abilities and cross-cultural comprehensive literacy. This allows students to consolidate their professional foundation and broaden their international horizons through the integrated experience of China and German education systems, growing into outstanding talents that meet the needs of the international design industry.

Also attending the Opening Ceremony were middle-level leaders and teachers of the School of Arts and Design, as well as all students of the 2025 Sino-German Cooperative Education Program. The conference was held in a warm and enthusiastic atmosphere.

Adhering to academic leadership and practice-oriented education, this Academic Week created an international academic feast with both depth and breadth, promoting two-way empowerment and resonance between academic exchanges and practical creation. The academic exchange segment was full of highlights. Mr. Martin Adam delivered a keynote lecture titled "From Bauhaus to the AI Era: The 'Reason' of German Design and Its Future." From the design heritage of the century-old Bauhaus to the cutting-edge applications of design in the artificial intelligence era, he brought deep academic inspiration and ideological collision to teachers and students. The lecture was simultaneously live-streamed online, allowing more teachers and students to share international academic resources.

On the morning of March 19, Johann Marchart, a foreign tutor in German from the School of International Culture and Communication, delivered a special lecture titled "Getting to Know Germany." He comprehensively introduced German culture and the educational environment, from geographical location to architecture, from traditional festivals to famous brands, and from German education to celebrities and cuisine, building a window for students to understand Germany.

The practice-oriented education segment went deep and solid. Mr. Martin Adam led the "Creative Layout of City Business Cards" practical workshop, with Wu Yaoyao and other teachers serving as Chinese co-instructors. Chinese and German teachers jointly conducted teaching guidance, leading the students of the 2025 Sino-German cooperative education program in immersive creative design practice, effectively enhancing students' professional practical skills and cross-cultural creation capabilities through hands-on training. During the event, the German guests also visited the school's professional laboratories to understand the functions and applications of various printing and output equipment, expressing high recognition of the school's solid teaching achievements, practical teaching conditions, and comprehensive teaching support system.

In addition, the academic activities included rich and colorful off-campus design-themed lectures, popularizing advanced German design education concepts, comprehensively showcasing the advantages and characteristics of the school's Sino-German cooperative education, further enhancing the social influence and brand reputation of the program, and allowing more teenagers to experience the charm of international design education.

On the morning of March 20, the Closing Ceremony and Award Presentation of the Opening Ceremony of the Sino-German Cooperative Education Program and the 1st International Youth Academic Week was successfully held. Leaders, guests, teachers, and students from both sides jointly witnessed the achievements and discussed the future. At the event, outstanding student works from the design practice workshop were exhibited. Under the careful organization and orderly arrangement of teachers and students, a series of creative and ingenious works comprehensively presented the teaching achievements of the deep integration of "Design + Technology" in this practical workshop, fully demonstrating the professional literacy and innovative capabilities of BCU students.

At the Closing Ceremony, Vice President Professor Wang Limin extended warm congratulations on the successful hosting of the Academic Week and expressed sincere gratitude for the concerted cooperation between the Chinese and German sides and the hard work of all staff. He pointed out that the Academic Week successfully built a high-quality platform for exchange and mutual learning between Chinese and German universities, deepened practical cooperation in education and teaching, talent cultivation, and academic research, and comprehensively demonstrated the fruitful achievements of the school's internationalized education. He hoped that all students would take this Academic Week as a new starting point, embrace an international perspective, consolidate their professional skills, be brave in innovative practice, adhere to the unity of knowledge and action, continuously grow and progress in the Sino-German dual-degree cultivation system, and strive to become outstanding design talents with both patriotic sentiments and international competitiveness.

In his closing speech, Mr. Martin Adam stated that although the few days of exchange were brief, they sparked countless new ideas, perspectives, and creativity. Chinese and German teachers and students enhanced their understanding through exchange and built consensus through cooperation. He emphasized that the core of education lies in awakening inner growth through dialogue and cooperation. The Sino-German cooperative education program is a real commitment connecting different cultures and educational traditions. This Closing Ceremony will become a new starting point for the deep cooperation and joint talent cultivation of the two universities. He once again expressed sincere gratitude to all teachers, students, and staff of BCU for their meticulous preparation and full support, and looked forward to the continuous deepening of cooperation between the two universities in the future, paving a broader path of growth for Chinese and German youth.

At the Closing Ceremony, leaders from both sides presented awards to the winning students of the "Creative Layout of City Business Cards" practical workshop, fully affirming the students' outstanding design achievements and encouraging all students to continue to delve into their majors, be bold in innovation, and bravely scale new heights on the path of design.

The successful hosting of the Opening Ceremony of the Sino-German Cooperative Education Program and the 1st International Youth Academic Week is an important practice of BCU in promoting educational internationalization and deepening Sino-German educational cooperation. It effectively strengthened students' sense of identity and belonging to the Sino-German cooperative program and successfully built a high-quality platform for collaborative exchanges between universities and regions. In the future, BCU will take this event as an opportunity to continuously deepen the connotation of China-Germany cooperation, constantly optimize the "Design + Technology" talent cultivation system, integrate high-quality educational resources of both countries, innovate talent cultivation models, and focus on cultivating more high-quality "hybrid" international design talents with international perspectives, innovative spirit, and practical capabilities, contributing greater strength to promoting the development of educational internationalization and deepening Sino-German cultural and educational exchange and cooperation.