An artful embrace of culture

The Yuanliu competition by Peking University offers a good platform for young talents to put their creative ideas into products.[Photo provided to China Daily]

But she applauds the students' creativity, noting that such work is a long-term commitment.

Hang says the campaign organizers also plan to collaborate with artists, designers and craftsmen to stage a series of exhibitions.

"Museums also reach out to us. They feel that the competition will provide good ideas and designs that can someday be turned into souvenirs for their shops."

Zeng Shijing, another winner at the first competition, says the Yuanliu Campaign enabled her to see many good designs, each a creative solution to blend traditional culture into daily life.

She designed an app that combines a weather forecast with beautiful female costumes of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It was also her project for her master's degree at the Tsinghua University's art and design department.

Speaking about the campaign, Zeng says: "I believe new technologies and equipment will provide more possibilities of integrating cultural heritage into our lives. And designers should play a bigger role because excellent designs will influence more people."