Recently, faculty and students from the School of Arts and Design at Beijing City University participated in the Spring Festival cultural exhibition project at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA). They designed a festive window display titled "Paper Cutting Welcomes Spring: A Chinese New Year Behind the Window" for the lobby of the NCPA Concert Hall. The installation presents a visual landscape rich in "Nian" (New Year) vibe through modern design language, creating a joyous and harmonious holiday atmosphere that adds a distinct festive touch to the NCPA's public cultural space.
The exhibition design was guided by Ji Bei, a faculty member from School of Arts and Design, and jointly completed by graduate students Zhong Min, Zhang Shuya, Zhang Ziyan, Xiao Fang, Jing Shirui, and Li Yu. Combining the characteristics of the NCPA's public space, the team utilized traditional paper cutting art as the primary visual language. By integrating Peking Opera figures with festive elements, they created a window display that exudes both cultural charm and holiday spirit.
In terms of design concept, the work draws inspiration from Yuxian paper cutting, a national intangible cultural heritage, and fuses it with traditional Chinese opera elements. The team constructed a festive scene through the artistic processing of paper-cut patterns and character modeling. The overall color scheme features red and gold, symbolizing the joyous atmosphere of the Spring Festival while showcasing the unique charm of traditional folk art.
To ensure the smooth execution of the project, the creative team, under faculty guidance, conducted extensive research and held multiple discussions. They systematically studied folk art, opera culture, and Spring Festival customs, continuously optimizing the design to fit the NCPA's spatial environment. The students utilized their spare time to refine the character modeling and paper-cut patterns, completing the final design through several rounds of revisions. This project served not only as an artistic practice but also as a vivid lesson combining professional learning with social needs.
Looking ahead, BCU will continue to deepen its cooperation with cultural institutions like the NCPA. We aim to further integrate design teaching with social cultural services, encouraging faculty and students to actively participate in public space design and cultural creative projects—contributing more design expertise to the inheritance and innovation of excellent traditional Chinese culture.
