To strengthen the development of animation and digital art disciplines, enrich international exchanges and cooperation for faculty and students, and support the university's goal of building a world-class institution, during the 2026 summer semester, the School of Animation and Digital Art at Communication University of China organized a series of international joint programs. Nearly 80 faculty and students traveled to France, Switzerland, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and other countries, covering Europe and Asia. The programs covered cutting-edge professional fields including digital imaging creation, Unreal Engine real-time rendering, hand-drawn illustration, artificial intelligence technology, and game design. From the banks of the Seine in Paris to the foot of Namsan Mountain in Seoul, from the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok to the tropical campuses of Jakarta, students of the School of Animation used creation as a medium to engage in cross-border professional dialogue and cultural exchange on the world stage.
I. Dialoguing with World-Class Institutions through Collaborative Practice
01 GOBELINS Paris, France: Twenty Years of Cooperation Forging International Friendship
From July 6 to 24, 18 students from the School of Animation and Digital Art, led by faculty member Gao Weihua, traveled to Paris, France, to participate in the Summer School program at GOBELINS Paris, one of the world's top animation schools. Participants were selected from multiple countries and regions including France, China, the United States, South Korea, Japan, Mexico, Canada, and Peru. Young creators jointly explored character design, animation performance, visual storytelling, and digital imaging creation.
The Summer School collaboration between the School of Animation and Digital Art and GOBELINS Paris has been held continuously for nearly two decades. Animated short films created by students from both sides have been featured on the official homepage of UNESCO. This long-term partnership has become a landmark project in Sino-French animation education exchange.
02 Locarno Film Festival, Switzerland: Lens Recording an International Celebration of Light and Shadow
In early August, seven students from the School of Animation and Digital Art, led by faculty member Tong Hua, traveled to Switzerland to participate in the Locarno Film Festival, one of the world's oldest internationally recognized A-category film festivals. In collaboration with the Conservatorio Internazionale di Scienze Audiovisive, our school produced behind-the-scenes documentaries for the festival, with the final works broadcast on the festival's official channel. Since 2024, our university has been deeply involved in the Locarno Film Festival for three consecutive years. Participating students demonstrated strong professional competence in documenting this international celebration of light and shadow, honing their practical skills in documentary creation and cross-cultural communication.
II. Promoting Mutual Learning among Civilizations through Joint Creation
01 Dongguk University, South Korea: Light and Shadow as Medium, Dual-City Narrative
From July 13 to 18, faculty member Song Leiyu from the School of Animation and Digital Art led 10 students to Seoul, South Korea, to jointly conduct a "Multimedia Imaging Workshop" with faculty and students from Dongguk University. The workshop was held at Dongguk University's Chungmuro Imaging Center and Cultural Center, utilizing high-quality teaching resources. It was led by Professor Yang Yun-ho, a renowned Korean film director, screenwriter, and Dean of the Graduate School of Imaging at Dongguk University. Students from China and South Korea were mixed into groups and, under the theme of "Beijing and Seoul" dual-city stories, completed two short film works within a week of intensive creation. This workshop was not only a honing of professional skills but also a cross-cultural exchange embedded in creative practice.
02 Campus Asia Program: Four Universities from Three Countries Jointly Depict Ecological Civilization
The "Asia Animation Alliance" project of Communication University of China is part of the Ministry of Education's "Campus Asia" program. Our university, together with three universities from South Korea and Thailand, initiated a joint animation creation project for students from China, South Korea, and Thailand. This year's project workshop was held in July at the Bang Khun Thian campus of King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi in Thailand. The workshop theme was "Animals Across Cultures". Faculty and students from China, South Korea, and Thailand engaged in a seven-day animation creation exchange and cross-cultural collaboration in internationally mixed groups.
The workshop organized a cultural and ecological field trip to Ratchaburi Province, Thailand. From the life experiences of rescued animals to the relationship between bees and plants, and further to the interdependence of agriculture and ecosystems, faculty and students understood the relationship between ecology and civilization through real-life situations. Ultimately, they co-created five animated short films. These works not only document the students' understanding of ecological themes but also embody the co-creation outcomes of mutual listening and inspiration across different cultures.
03 Chiang Mai University, Thailand: Telling City Stories through Design
From July 17 to 26, faculty member Xia Wangsheng from the School of Animation and Digital Art led 13 students to Chiang Mai University in Thailand, where they conducted research and created IP designs themed around Chiang Mai landmarks together with local students. Students carried out field research and creative design within the cultural context of Chiang Mai's old city, integrating Southeast Asia's unique visual elements with contemporary IP design concepts, producing a range of design works rich in cultural connotation and market potential.
04 Universitas Multimedia Nusantara, Indonesia: Digital Art Activating Traditional Intangible Heritage
From July 13 to 17, faculty member Ding Ning from the School of Animation and Digital Art led four students to Universitas Multimedia Nusantara in Indonesia, where they completed a five-day cross-cultural study and digital game joint creation practice with Indonesian faculty and students.
The team conducted cultural research at the Jakarta Puppet Museum and the National Museum of Indonesia. The extensive collections of wayang kulit and puppets based on the epic Ramayana provided unique Southeast Asian visual style references for game creation. Chinese and Indonesian faculty and students jointly developed the light-and-shadow puzzle game Shadow of Rama, integrating wayang art into interactive mechanics and completing the full process from planning, concept art, level design, to interactive development. Students mastered the approach of digital transformation of traditional intangible heritage through cross-border collaboration, broadening their international creative horizons.
05 Nanyang Technological University, Singapore: In-Classroom Experience of Renowned University Courses
In late August, faculty member Li Yanni from the School of Animation and Digital Art led 15 students to Nanyang Technological University in Singapore to participate in a series of undergraduate courses. The program covered cutting-edge content in digital media and animation, further expanding the school's models and spaces for international cooperation.
III. Introducing International Masters through Open Classrooms
In addition to overseas exchange programs, the School of Animation and Digital Art also invited several internationally renowned academic experts to teach in Beijing.
Professor Vincent Lovi, former president of École Nationale Supérieure Louis-Lumière in France and an expert in AI and film at the University of Lorraine, fully guided the "Classical Reinterpretation · Creative National Style" AIGC creation workshop during the summer semester. The workshop encouraged students to explore contemporary expressions of traditional cultural elements through technological practice. Twenty-two students from our university and six students from Italy and Thailand participated together, completing seven creative short films in five days in groups.
Professor Gilda Dandolfin from LUCA School of Arts in Belgium brought a "Creative Illustration Workshop" to students from the Comics and Animation departments. Professor Dandolfin has created multiple children's and young adult picture books, with works translated into many languages. From 2023 to 2026, she has been nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, one of the world's highest children's literature awards, for four consecutive years. The workshop adopted a "thematic creation project" format, integrating core teaching methods from LUCA's illustration department, and featured five modules: visual language exploration, surrealist writing training, narrative method development, introduction to handmade bookbinding, and one-on-one creative feedback.
Professor Liu Baoying from Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf in Germany led students through an "Extreme Animation Creation Workshop." The workshop emphasized high-intensity creation within a limited time, encouraging students to freely choose various media forms including hand-drawn animation, stop-motion animation, digital animation, mixed media, experimental animation, and live-action combined animation according to project needs. During the two-week intensive creation period, students completed individual loop animation exercises (later edited into a collective short film) and group animated short films.
In the summer of 2026, faculty and students of the School of Animation and Digital Art took the world as their classroom and creation as their bridge. This series of journeys not only broadened students' professional horizons but also enabled every participant to exercise international collaboration skills through communication and expression in multicultural contexts.
This article was translated with AI assistance.
Editor: Fang Yiran
