To further study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Culture and the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping on cultivating the new generation and building a leading country in culture, the Publicity Department of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and the Education Working Committee at the Beijing Municipal Party Committee have initiated the “Colorful Beijing, Blooming Youth” Campaign (short for the Campaign). Since June 2023, CUEB has been among the first 16 universities to be actively involved in this activity. Led by the Party Committee Publicity Department, the CUEB Youth League Committee, the School of Culture and Communication, and the School of Marxism jointly pioneered the initiative, with the Student Affairs Department of the Party Committee joining in April 2024 upon the comprehensive launch of the Campaign. Based on the mechanisms of theoretical research and publicity, revolutionary culture research, volunteering, and high-quality development of Beijing Cultural Industrial Parks implemented in 2024, CUEB introduced cultural relics research and artistic performance, totaling six mechanisms. Through a series of activities, over a thousand CUEBers participated in cultural practices, experiencing the profound culture of Beijing.

Now, let’s look at the footprints of CUEBers in the Campaign in 2024.

Theoretical Research and Publicity: Youth Pursuing Ideals

The youth are the future of the country and the hope of the nation. By equipping youth with scientific theories to guide actions, we pave the way for the growth of emerging talents. This glorious path also illuminates the direction for CUEBers to become talents.

Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting, Escape from the British Museum and social news like “Chilean President Visiting Panjiayuan (a community in Beijing)” have become vivid examples cited by graduates from the School of Marxism in their lectures given to the community. Under the guidance of teachers, the graduate lecture team from the School of Marxism has visited communities in Majiapu Street, Kandan Street, Heyi Street, and Fanjiacun Street, among others, engaging face-to-face with residents over 300 times in total.

An article titled Li Dazhao’s Thought on Youth Education Integrated with College Ideological and Political Education and Its Contemporary Significance, written by Liu Shihui, a 2022 graduate student from the School of Marxism, won the first prize for “Excellent Theoretical Article” in the Beijing “Youth Pursing Research” project in January this year. She believes that the Campaign can help students acquire knowledge, promote mutual learning, and achieve common progress. To strengthen it, the School of Marxism leverages the resources of the “Digital School of Marxism Studies” and continuously conducts “Enjoying Youth” book club activities. In the latest activity, Meng Xianzhi, a young teacher, led the reading of The First Program of the Communist Party of China and shared learning insights with students. After the event, Wan Heng, a 2022 graduate from the School of Marxism, mentioned that he found a way to make theoretical learning more lively and interesting.

During the freshman guidance of the School of Marxism, the municipal demonstration group for the “Micro-Lecture on the Spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China” conducted the first lesson. With vivid content, the lecturers delivered the innovative theories of the Party into the hearts of young students, bridging the “last mile” of theoretical lectures.

Revolutionary Culture Research: Youth Continuing the Legacy

The spirit of an era is represented by its youth, and the character of an era is shaped by its youth. Nurturing youth with revolutionary culture ensures that the base color of CUEB youth remains red; marking youth with a red flag ensures that the vitality continues in the younger generation at CUEB.

“Juyongguan Pass is not only a treasure of national culture but also an expression of Chinese fortitude.” During the summer vacation, the article titled “Let's Visit Revolutionary Culture Together” from CUEB Official WeChat Account, presented all the revolutionary education bases in Beijing. What’s more, another 50 articles, such as “Exploring Revolutionary Footprints,” “Chinese Spirit,” “Seeking Memories of National Culture,” and “Stories of Cultural Relics”, have been released in sync with the campus culture values, thus making good use of cyberspace to promote ideological and political education.

To make better use of local revolutionary resources, CUEB’s ideological and political course base has become an important support for the Youth League Committee to carry out the “Cultivation Plan for Museum Star.” This May saw the recruitment of young narrators for revolutionary stories at the Museum of the War of Peoples Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Xiao Xiao, a Youth League cadre, has been committed to the Campaign since 2023. She deeply feels the changes in students through participating in volunteer narrating activities at the museum. “A narrator with a sparkling look in their eyes can move the souls of the audience. When they return to campus, the souls of their classmates will be moved as well.”

Wu Yuanjun, a Party member and 2023 graduate student from the School of Statistics, was once a narrator at the PKU Red Building memorial hall. She will be invited to share her experiences and work insights with new narrators. Wu said that becoming a narrator was a highlight moment in her life. This experience not only boosted her confidence but also purified her thoughts.

Volunteering: Youth Gathering Glimmer

Volunteer service is an important indicator of social civilization and progress as an important force driving Chinese modernization. With dedication, friendship, mutual help, and progress, CUEBers view volunteer service as an honor at the front lines.

“Studying and living in Beijing gives us numerous opportunities to participate in major events and each participation broadens our horizons,” said Huang Tongshu, an undergraduate student of Grade 2021 from the School of Finance. Even in her senior year of CUEB, her enthusiasm for volunteer service has not decreased but increased. She and hundreds of other CUEB volunteers have participated in major events such as the Global Digital Economy Conference, the Intelligent Medical Engineering Innovation and Development Conference, and the World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference.

Youth goes hand in hand with volunteer service. CUEB volunteers not only have the competence to step onto the international stage but also have the passion to actively engage in social governance. Beijing Fengtai Railway Station, the largest railway station in Asia within a 10-minute walk from CEUB main campus, serves as an important base for CUEBers to participate in daily volunteer service. Zhao Jiayi, an undergraduate of Grade 2022 from the College of Urban Economics and Public Administration, offered excellent service in this station during the busy Spring Festival and summer vacation seasons. He said he not only witnessed people’s eagerness to return home but also experienced the happy and fulfilling lives of the people.

As a dependent university of Fengtai District, CUEB encourages young volunteers to participate in volunteer service in Fengtai District. The Party organizations and youth league organizations of all secondary units at CUEB have formed partnerships with communities in Xincun Street, focusing on providing volunteer services as a key endeavor. According to statistics, focusing on the “Daily Volunteer Service Brand Project by Capital Universities,” CUEB has sent over 6,000 volunteers to Fengtai District, Xincun Street, and other local communities with a cumulative volunteer service duration exceeding 20,000 hours.

High-Quality Development of Beijing Cultural Industrial Parks:

Youth Boosting Vitality

“High-quality development of Beijing Cultural Industrial Parks” is the activity launched by capital universities to participate in the high-quality development of cultural industry parks. It extends the classroom to the off-campus life, giving opportunities to university students to put theories into practice and experience the charm of Beijing’s cultural industry parks. It is also conducive to the cultivation of professional personnel with a “solid foundation, strong academics, and robust practice” and to the promotion of cultural industry parks and the high-quality development of the capital city in the new era.

This September, the Party Committee of the School of Culture and Communication led teacher and student Party members to the cultural industry park of Shouchuang Langyuan Station. As a “park experience officer”, the team visited 13 cultural zones, including Lao Ding Feng Pastry Shop, Our TimesHere Compound Shared Space, Ziinlife, CangKu Showground, and Central Station Cultural Plaza. During the visit, they explored the industrial forms with prominent cultural characteristics and felt the vitality and unique charm of the capital’s cultural development in the new era.

The Langyuan organizer introduced the brand development history and cultural industry operating model of Shouchuang Langyuan Station to the teachers and students with the theme “Shouchuang Langyuan: Revitalizing Urban Life with Culture”. In the presentation, the speaker described the process of upgrading the philosophy, deepening step by step from the level of “cultural industry + cultural content + cultural consumption” to form a “1+3+N” business operation model. This model has successfully fostered numerous top IPs in the cultural sector and independent cultural content brands, reflecting the cluster effect as a highland of domestic films and television products.

Li Xinyi, a graduate of Grade 2022 majoring in Journalism and Communication from the School of Culture and Communication said that this activity was a valuable learning opportunity, providing them a chance to experience the charm and vitality of the cultural industry. As young people in the new era, it is essential to further enhance cultural confidence and awareness, and contribute strength to the prosperous development of the cultural industry.

Cultural Relics Research: Youth Inheriting Ancient Charm

The younger generation in China is featured with confidence and friendliness. Beijing dialect is melodious and pleasing to the ear, and the Beijing rhythm lingers around the beams. The youth of CUEB keep pace with the rhythm of the city, and CUEBers are immersed in the rich history of the ancient capital.

Wen Xuan, an undergraduate of the Grade of 2021 from the School of Culture and Communication, wrote a significant article for the “We Are All Cultural Heritage Inheritors” project. After two years of military service, Wen Xuan and her peers moved into the campus maker community, embarking on an entrepreneurial practice centered on traditional clothing, focusing on the inheritance and protection of intangible cultural heritage, promoting the re-employment of rural laid-off women, and taking root in rural revitalization. “We are quite confident in our livestream sales process.This confidence stems from two sources: the thriving market for ‘new Chinese styles’ and the rich essence of traditional Chinese culture,” Wen Xuan stated. She and her team are confident and determined to preserve the intangible cultural heritage.

The scenario of “500 appointment slots being snapped up in seconds” occurred during the pre-registration period for the lectures “An Overview of the Beijing Central Axis and the Central Axis Application to World Heritage List” and “Cao Xueqin’s Dream of the Red Chamber and the Beijing Central Axis” under the “Growth Classroom” series. Using the school’s “second classroom” education system with the strong support from various teaching units, the Student Affairs Department of the Party Committee, together with the School of Economics and the School of Culture and Communication, organized two theme lectures centered on the Beijing Central Axis. Ma Chen, the head of the Cultural Relic Relocation Department of the Beijing Central Axis application to World Heritage List Protection Office, narrated the efforts of the Beijing Central Axis application to World Heritage List Protection work, interpreting the significance of the work in the process of inheriting cultural heritage. Song Weizu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal Political Consultative Conference, Deputy Director of the Central Cultural Committee of the China Democratic League, and founder of the Beijing Design Society, introduced how Beijing, through the implementation of the “Cao Xueqin’s Beijing Relics Identification Project,” has built a cultural trail of Cao Xueqin’s Dream of the Red Chamber along the Beijing’s central axis.

Artistic Performance: Youth Resonating Song

The youth are the most active and lively force in society. Youth is dancing, with campus unfolding chapters of vitality; youth is singing, with notes playing a symphony of colors. This is the colorful CUEB, where students can fly their dreams freely in the vast world of art.

Educating with beauty and nurturing with culture, The Party Committee Student Affairs Department and the Youth League CUEB Committee have jointly organized a series of high-quality artistic performances, earning widespread recognition.

The Spring of Yangjialing is a large-scale song and dance poetry drama. Nearly a hundred students went to the National Centre for the Performing Arts to watch the performance live, feeling the noble and indomitable spirit of the revolutionary predecessors. After the event, Zhang Xiao, a counselor from the School of Labor Economics, mentioned that the students were greatly moved by the excellent performance of the actors. The performance by the artists of the National Centre for the Performing Arts is also available on campus today. This June, the “Deep into Life, Rooted in the People-National Centre for the Performing Arts’ Hundred Charity Performances” kicked off at the Zhuoyu Auditorium. The artists presented a feast to the CUEBers with mixed chorus, female chorus, and male chorus in three forms, with exquisite singing. This September, as a Chinese national quintessence, Peking Opera resounded in the Zhuoyu Auditorium. The Beijing Fenglei Peking Opera Troupe was invited to CUEB, presenting the artistic characteristics of Peking Opera and highlighting the traditional virtues of loyalty and bravery through singing, recitation, acting, and acrobatic fighting.

The power of youth is the future of the city. CUEBers, with noble ideals, profound thoughts, and concrete actions in the “Colorful Beijing, Blooming Youth” Campaign have crafted the brilliance that belongs to the youth of CUEB with practice as their brushstroke. In the future, CUEB will further advance the Campaign as an important platform for the “Grand Ideological and Political Education,” to integrate Beijing’s high-quality cultural resources and personnel cultivation, making greater contribution to the construction of the national cultural center and the economic and social development of the capital.