On the morning of November 24, 2023, everyone is looking forward to a special lecture. Prof.Jian ZHANG, vice dean of Xiamen College of Arts and Crafts of Fuzhou University, walked up to the podium and showed several exquisite pictures of arts and crafts: delicate and elegant Suzhou jade bowls, exquisite and gorgeous hairpin, and the creative mobile phone case of the Imperial Palace. These works are not only representatives of arts and crafts, but Prof.ZHANG also used this as an example to probe into a key question: "Why do we pay deep attention to the color, shape, jacquard and other aspects of traditional arts and crafts? however, it always seems to lack vitality in the innovation and development. Why do our works often only find shadows in museums and are not closely related to modern life? "

He pointed out that on the basis of learning from the traditional culture of other countries, Western countries have not only developed their own culture and art, but also gained remarkable economic benefits from it. Why do we not use traditional culture in the first place in design, but always reflect on 'this is actually a part of our culture' after the completion of Western design? " He stressed that this is the fundamental reason why we have rich cultural wealth but fail to make full use of and realize it.

Prof.ZHANG went on to say that in the way of communication between ancient countries and regions, the exchange of arts and crafts was an important means of transmitting culture. During the Ming Dynasty, the high development of arts and crafts brought about a significant increase in national strength and financial resources, making the Ming Dynasty one of the most prosperous dynasties in the world. This prosperity is largely due to the great importance and development of arts and crafts. Especially after the founding of the people's Republic of China, the government's emphasis on light industry partly stems from the understanding of the value of arts and crafts. The development of light industry not only promotes economic growth, but also becomes an important carrier of cultural inheritance and innovation.

To further explore the differences between regions, Prof.ZHANG pointed out that there is a significant imbalance in the development of arts and crafts in different regions. Take the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong as an example, although it plays a significant role in supporting the economy, the cultural characteristics and the scale of economic development in northern, eastern and western Guangdong are far from each other. He stressed that strengthening cultural and economic ties between different regions is essential to enhance the role of arts and crafts in regional development.

When it comes to the future development of arts and crafts, Prof.ZHANG emphasizes the importance of branding.  In this process, he specifically mentioned Fujian Province's remarkable achievements in the field of arts and crafts, training a number of arts and crafts masters, reflecting the focus and investment in arts and crafts.

The unity and cooperation among enterprises is very important to the innovation and development of the industry. Only by laying down their own "unique skills" and pursuing innovation together can we achieve economic and cultural breakthroughs. He also mentioned that since the 1990s, with the development of technology, especially artificial intelligence, the arts and crafts industry is seeking to promote the development of creative industries to a higher level through the training of high-end talents.

Prof.ZHANG also discussed the classification and attribution of arts and crafts, pointing out that 2006 is an important milestone in the protection of intangible cultural heritage in China. But at the same time, he stressed the need for a more detailed distinction and protection of the classification of non-heritage. He also discussed the management system of the handicraft industry and pointed out the efforts made by various agencies in promoting standardization in recent years.

Finally, Prof.ZHANG stressed the importance of education system reform, and colleges and universities need to adjust their curriculum design in time to adapt to the changes of society and industry. He also pointed out that market expansion should focus not only on commercial promotion, but also on cultural dissemination.

At the end of the lecture, the students asked Prof.ZHANG about the role of machines in the manufacture of arts and crafts, the balance between inheritance and innovation of arts and crafts, and the combination of arts and crafts with artificial intelligence. his answer emphasized the role of technology in the development of arts and crafts, and pointed out the balance between tradition and innovation, technology and art. He advocated the use of modern technology to innovate arts and crafts while maintaining respect for and protection of traditional culture.