Synthesis of knowledge: St Petersburg University expands cooperation with China in the field of art and design

According to Ivan Uralov, Senior Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Arts at St Petersburg University, St Petersburg University has extensive experience in interacting with scientific and educational organisations of the People’s Republic of China, from staff and student exchange to the programmes with a Chinese component. The University signed an agreement with the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China to organise internships for both lecturers and researchers and annually send Russian students to China to study the national language of the partner country.

St Petersburg University has a wide range of areas in arts: the Department of Organ, Harpsichord and Carillon, the Department of Design, the Department of Cinema and Television, and the Department of Restoration to name just a few. I am confident that we have much in common to collaborate and ensure productivity in partnerships in the field of art.

Ivan Uralov, Senior Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Arts at St Petersburg University

Ivan Uralov made a proposal to develop collaboration between academic vocal performance specialists from St Petersburg University and colleagues from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. He added that the exchange of experience and methods of teaching vocals is of significant interest for both educational institutions, seeking to expand cultural horizons and train high-calibre personnel. 

Talking about the organisation of the teaching and learning process at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Professor Qiuling Chao focused on the increasing need for competitive specialists who not only have in-depth knowledge in a particular field, but are also committed to ensuring interdisciplinary interaction and integration of various approaches. "Our programmes are internationally recognisable and we are committed to maintaining their status. As an international university, we provide our students and exchange students with an opportunity to become part of the international educational environment," said Qiuling Chao. 

One of the key topics discussed during the meeting was an issue of training designers. According to Kseniia Pozdniakova, Head of the Department of Design, Associate Professor of St Petersburg University, what makes the development of design and other arts at the University different is the synthesis of fundamental knowledge, new original research, technologies and classical artistic activity.

At the University, applied creative areas interact with the humanities and natural sciences. We recognise the need for a synthesis of practices in the field of design and interdisciplinary research to organise project activities.

Kseniia Pozdniakova, Head of the Department of Design, Associate Professor of St Petersburg University

By doing so, we can combine the efforts of specialists in various disciplines to develop innovative design solutions, which will reflect a comprehensive and integrated approach to the arts, Kseniia Pozdniakova said. 

The universities are a meaningful resource for collaboration in the field of design, and, apart from the classical issues of graphic design, the University seeks to develop interest in the study of museum design and design for sustainable development and social innovation, Kseniia Pozdniakova added. 

During the meeting, Professor Qiuling Chao, Vice President for Student Affairs and Information at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, expressed her admiration for a diversity of areas of study and academic programmes in environmental design, vocal training, and cultural heritage preservation to name just a few. The Chinese colleagues are particularly interested in bringing together design with information technology and combining traditional fine arts with a modern approach to the study of film and television, she said.

St Petersburg University is not only a very strong educational institution, but also an institution with a rich history and great potential. Art, information systems in the humanities, and filmmaking seem to me to be promising areas for joint initiatives.

Professor Qiuling Chao, Vice President for Student Affairs and Information at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

As part of the discussion on effective cooperation, Aleksandr Antipin, Lecturer in the Department of Film and Television at St Petersburg University, suggested that the Chinese colleagues organise seminars on digital philosophy and its application in various fields of creativity, including design, cinema and three-dimensional animation. He placed particular emphasis on studying the contributions of Chinese philosopher Yuk Hui, who is a leading expert in the field. This approach can bring new ideas and innovative methods to the creative process. 

According to Evgeniia Petrashen, Head of the academic programme "Environmental Design", there is a need to develop scientific cooperation with colleagues from China and support research areas related to sustainable development. "Creative and philosophical areas are actively developing in China. We keep in touch with our graduates who are Chinese students, so we want to develop contact with researchers and scholars in the field of environmental design at your university," said Evgeniia Petrashen. 

The parties also discussed the proposals made by Elena Gaevskaya, Associate Professor in the Department of Information Systems in Arts and Humanities at St Petersburg University. She suggested organising jointly an interactive educational environment and opening an advisory research centre in the field of arts and design to unite the efforts of specialists from different fields to solve complex creative problems. 

According to Veronika Koytova, Head of the International Academic Cooperation Department, St Petersburg University offers a large number of academic programmes with a foreign component to study law, international relations, tourism, history, economics with in-depth study of the national language of the partner country. The number of the programmes with a Chinese component has reached 91. 

She also emphasised that the direct agreement with the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, signed between the parties in 2015, enables the University to accept interns from China and send Russian students to study Chinese at universities in the People’s Republic of China.

We have very extensive experience in interaction with our Chinese partners. We are planning to send you draft cooperation agreements, which traditionally include a general agreement, a memorandum of understanding and student and staff exchange protocols to work together in this direction.

Veronika Koytova, Head of the International Academic Cooperation Department at St Petersburg University

The representatives of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University expressed their readiness to develop partnerships. "Today, we have seen that your university bridges classical and modern, technology and creativity, a creative approach and an attempt to find interdisciplinary solutions. This plays an important role in training new personnel and shaping the future of humanity. We have conceptual unity with St Petersburg University. Our future cooperation will undoubtedly be effective," said Helen Li, International Student Recruitment and Development Manager at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. 

Following the meeting, the parties confirmed their interest in developing long-term and mutually beneficial relations and the prospect of signing a cooperation agreement. They decided to hold a meeting in a remote format with specialists in the relevant areas and discuss further steps to launch cooperation.