On September 20, 13 PhD students in Design from the Faculty of Innovation and Design (FIAD), City University of Macau, visited Navy Yard No. 1 in the Barra District to participate in an artist sharing session and exhibition visit as part of "Lion Dance Festival 2026". Combining a guided exhibition visit with exchanges with artists, the programme provided students with an opportunity to explore traditional Chinese lion culture and the contemporary interpretation of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) symbols from the perspective of design research.

The visit began with the exhibition "Lion Dance Culture in Chinese Life". Centred on the lion as a cultural motif, the exhibition presents its diverse meanings across Chinese social life, folk traditions, beliefs and cultural expression. Through the exhibits, students gained first-hand insights into the historical development, cultural transmission and visual representation of traditional lion culture.

Students then attended "Lion Dance Festival 2026: The Living Artifact: New Era #2", an artist sharing session featuring AAFK and Gao Yishan of GaoYiShan Studio. Focusing on the reinterpretation of intangible cultural heritage symbols and their expression in contemporary culture, the session created a platform for dialogue across traditional culture, artistic practice and design thinking.

For the PhD students in Design, the programme served not only as a field-based learning experience grounded in local cultural resources, but also as an opportunity to connect theoretical research with cultural and creative practice. Through the exhibition visit and exchanges with the artists, students were encouraged to further consider how traditional cultural elements can be interpreted within contemporary design contexts, as well as the potential roles of design in cultural transmission, innovative expression and social communication.

The Faculty of Innovation and Design has continued to foster connections among traditional culture, design innovation and social practice. By organizing PhD students to participate in "Lion Dance Festival 2026", the Faculty aims to broaden students' research perspectives through engagement with authentic cultural settings, deepen their understanding of the contemporary transformation of intangible cultural heritage, and enrich their experience for future design research and practice.

Written by: Chen Yang, 2026 PhD Student in Design