Chinese art students embrace global creativity

"Art creation is fundamentally a journey of self-discovery," said Liu Ziyang, founder of the School of International Art (SIA), a study abroad agency.

Liu, born in 1991, pursued further studies at the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 2010. At that time, he noted that not many Chinese students were studying art abroad. Due to differences in domestic and international art teaching methods, he encountered challenges.

"This is why I understand the difficulties Chinese students face when applying for art studies abroad," he said.

Inspired by this awareness and motivated by the lack of available services, Liu established SIA in 2011 during his second year of college.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service and Pearson recently collaborated to release the latest trend report on Chinese students studying in the UK. According to the report, the popularity of business subjects has been on a decline since 2013, while interest in art majors has more than doubled over the past decade. "Studying abroad for art has become a new trend today," Liu said.

To him, SIA is more than just a study abroad agency. "It's a bridge. I want to introduce diverse teaching methods in art education from abroad to China," he said.

Following this philosophy, Liu has invited professors from various overseas universities to teach his students, offering them a genuine international art education experience.

One person benefiting from this approach is Huang Yijia, a 21-year-old art student from Xiangyang, Central China's Hubei province. Currently enrolled at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in Chongqing, Huang is preparing to study interior design at the Royal College of Art in the UK.

In the application process, one of Huang's portfolio projects was completed under the guidance of a UK professor. This procedure challenged her at first, particularly due to language barriers and differences in teaching methods. However, it also urged her to find ways to overcome these obstacles. Huang diligently prepared for lessons, creating checklists of learning objectives and recording lectures to ensure no details had slipped through the cracks.

Reflecting on what she had learned in the past few months and her previous art education, where teachers directed studies within specific research areas, Huang appreciated the UK professor's approach.

"She did not set a design direction for me but instead encouraged me to explore independently," Huang said, expressing her hope to spark new creative ideas and discover her true passions in this new teaching model during her future studies in the UK.

Liu also noticed that the lines between arts and other subjects are blurred. This is leading to more students choosing comprehensive universities and subjects that combine different areas. "I think this is a development trend for future art majors," he said.

Huang Zhiyuan, 18, is an example of this trend. Preparing for interdisciplinary studies at Washington University in St. Louis, the United States, he combines his passion for drawing with his interests in biology, focusing on communication design. He believes that art extends beyond conventional boundaries, emphasizing the potential of industrial design to merge artistic and scientific principles for the good of society.

"Since I was young, I have always been curious about science and willing to try new things. Interdisciplinary studies can provide me with various challenges and stimulate my interest in different disciplines," Huang Zhiyuan explained.

In his exploration of interdisciplinary studies, he stressed the importance of addressing today's challenges using different approaches.

His innovative fragrance diffuser, for example, which is based on the Sniffin' Sticks Test theory, shows how combining different areas of research and investigation can help in tackling complex issues, such as the early detection of Alzheimer's disease.

"In today's world, many problems can't be solved with just one subject. I believe interdisciplinary studies can better deal with these problems in the future and promote human development," he said, highlighting the importance of looking at the big picture in shaping the future of art education.

mengwenjie@i21st.cn