On 19 September 2023, Li Song, a member of the Party Committee and vice president of the Open University of China (OUC), attended a symposium for communication at China Arts Newspaper.

Accompanying him were Jin Yan, vice dean of the School of Art at OUC; Professor Tang Yingshan; and three other faculty members. Kang Wei, chief editor of China Arts Newspaper, along with other relevant personnel, also participated in the event.

Li Song introduced the general overview of the OUC and outlined its current priorities. He emphasised that the newly-established OUC School of Art aims to provide the Chinese population with a comprehensive aesthetic education. The school is also dedicated to promoting traditional Chinese arts in an authoritative manner, thereby facilitating international communication and cooperation in the realms of Chinese culture and arts. Li Song expressed eagerness to implement the collaboration as swiftly as possible and conveyed the hope that both parties would intensify their cooperative efforts. The ultimate goal is to advance traditional Chinese culture and elevate the artistic literacy of the public.

Jin Yan introduced the programmes offered by the OUC School of Art, including "Art Master Lectures," and discussed the outcomes achieved thus far. He expressed hope for future collaboration between the school and China Arts Newspaper in areas such as the recruitment of art teachers and the promotion of art project brands.

Kang Wei proposed that both parties should enter into a strategic cooperation agreement. He introduced China Arts Newspaper, emphasizing its abundant artist resources and strengths in fields such as art and literary criticism, as well as publicity and promotional services. Kang Wei expressed a desire for mutual benefit, suggesting that the agency and OUC could complement each other's strengths and identify converging areas for collaboration, with the objective of advancing art education and cultural communication.

Both parties engaged in a substantive dialogue about potential areas of convergence for future cooperation, exploring the possibility of multifaceted collaborations on art projects, which could include both online and offline platforms. Faculty from the OUC School of Art also interacted with key representatives from China Arts Newspaper to gain an understanding of each other’s advantages and requirements, particularly in relation to collaborative aspects such as sharing teacher resources, platform development, and publicity and promotion efforts.

Written by Xu Hang and Photographed by Jin Tao, OUC