CUC International Workshop powers the 2025 League of Legends World Championship Beijing Fan Fest

Between Sept 28 and Oct 13, the School of Animation and Digital Arts and the Advertising School at the Communication University of China (CUC) successfully hosted a cross-disciplinary international creative workshop titled Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Transformation × Youth Culture. The workshop was co-hosted by Tencent Interactive Entertainment Group (IEG) Brand and Digital Ecology Marketing Department through online cooperation and offline creation. It is an innovative practice of international integration of industry, academia and research, promoting in-depth alignment between the university's professional education and the actual needs of society.

Within the frameworks of these two important projects, Campus Asia - Old Beijing: New Beijing China-Japan-South Korea-Thailand Workshop and Research on Youth Cultural Identity and Creative Transformation of Intangible Cultural Heritage Craft-based Cultural Tourism Resources, the workshop takes contemporary expression of traditional culture as its core theme. It aligns with the brand communication needs of the 2025 League of Legends World Championship League Carnival Beijing Viewing Event, delivering visual and interactive achievement displays.

Traditional Heritage Meets E-sports: A Creative Crossover

The "2025 League of Legends World Championship · League Carnival · Beijing Viewing Event" is a co-branded activity of the "East of the Forbidden City" urban cultural and tourism brand. Supported by the Beijing Dongcheng District Bureau of Culture and Tourism and organized by the League of Legends project under Tencent Interactive Entertainment Group (IEG), it explores the in-depth integration of cultural tourism and e-sports, building an innovative practice of empowering urban cultural tourism through game IP. For this event, the workshop designed three intangible cultural heritage (ICH)-themed photo frames with regional cultural characteristics for the cultural and tourism check-in spots in Beijing's Dongcheng District.

By focusing on three representative intangible cultural heritage (ICH) practices in Dongcheng District — Rabbit God (Tu'er Ye), Zayan Kite, and Cloisonné — the teachers and students of the workshop reimagined the ICH cultural symbols, integrated e-sports visual language and delivered innovative expression through new media art installations, completing a full-fledged creative chain from cultural research to visual translation, and from classroom learning to social application.

After two weeks of conception and production, the works were finally unveiled at the offline site, becoming check-in points for young visitors. These works are: Rabbit God of Valor placed at Nanfang at Longfu Temple; Golden Wind Leaving Shadows placed at the Guanzhong · Central Axis Local Culture Museum on the north side of the Drum Tower Cultural Square; and Arrow of the Firmament placed at the Guantan Art Center on the top floor of the Hongqiao Market.

Creative Reinvention of ICH: Inspiration and Expression of the Three Works

These works not only integrated cultural research with art design but also demonstrated the students' contemporary expression of the spirit of ICH.

Rabbit God of Valor

Creators: Lian Yanling, Li Jinxia (School of Animation and Digital Arts)

Inspired by the Rabbit God, a traditional Beijing craft, the work integrates the game’s characters Li Qing and Zhao Xin with the traditional auspicious beast, shaping the image of the Armored Rabbit God full of power and spirituality. The work is dominated by a bright red and blue color scheme, integrating elements of east costume, symbolizing the resonance between traditional belief and modern competition. As the creators stated: "We hope to use local Beijing cultural symbols to express the spirit of e-sports players forging ahead, and enable the visitors to perceive the vitality of cultural transformation." When interacting and taking photos with the frame, the visitors feel as if they are in the battle, and leave their own Armored Mark in front of the frame.

Golden Wind Leaving Shadows

Creators: Guo Xue, Jian Yiting (School of Animation and Digital Arts)

Making Beijing Zayan Kite as the core creative element, this work integrates the competitive passion of the League of Legends into the traditional pattern Water Waves and Auspicious Clouds. The design references the shape, color, and material of the Beijing Zayan Kite, using the extension of the kite to symbolize dreams and prayers, implying that the teams will ride the wind and soar into the sky. The visitors seem to soar together with the vivid kites in the passionate airflow of the tournament site when they take photos. The work cleverly merges the lightness, ingenuity and liveliness of ICH skills with the speed, combustibility and heat of e-sports, becoming a symbol of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary competitive spirit.

Arrow of the Firmament

Creator: Zhang Mengying (Advertising School)

Rooted in Beijing Cloisonné, the work echoes the concept of "metal as bone, glaze as soul" of ICH craft with the spirit of e-sports. The work chooses to juxtapose the game’s character Frost Archer Ashe with the Beijing Swift symbolizing speed and spirituality, forming a visual imagery of muscle, bone and brilliance. The background design references the structural form of the Temple of Heaven's dome, implying resonance of skills between heaven and earth. Approaching the work, visitors can overlook the magnificent scenery of the Temple of Heaven Park through the frame. This allows them to not only appreciate the beauty of ICH, but also feel the ingenuity of integrating traditional culture and youth culture via the frame.

Multi-party Integration Assists the Successful Transformation of Industry-Academia-Research Teaching Outcomes

This was not only a creative practice integrating ICH with ACG, but also a successful collaboration among teachers and students from China, Japan, South Korea and Thailand across multiple majors including animation, digital art and design. It has breathed new life into traditional crafts within the real context of urban and even international communication. Young creators have reshaped the contemporary vitality of traditional culture through their design prowess.