CREATING“SHARED VALUE”,HELPING TO INTEGRATE INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE INTO MODERN LIFE
2018 BMW CHINA CULTURE JOURNEY INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE EXHIBITION GRAND OPENS

(Beijing) Today marks the grand opening of the 2018 BMW China Culture Journey Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition at the Academy of Arts at Tsinhua University. The Exhibition is a joint endeavor between BMW China Culture Journey and the Tsinghua BMW Innovation Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding. At the opening ceremony, BMW China Culture Journey unveiled a series of social transformation achievements, which is under guidance of BMW strategic corporate social responsibility, including the "Yushu Impression" Series of Products, which have recently realized marketization.

The BMW China Culture Journey Tour Guide in Yushu is also released during the opening ceremony, which aims to fuel the local tourism industry. Besides, BMW China Culture Journey partners with the SDX Joint Publishing Company to create the Intangible Cultural Heritage Pop-up showroom at the heart of Beijing’s urban fashion district, Sanlitun, to promote awareness and consumption of creative intangible cultural heritage works among the public.

Dr. Johann Wieland, President and CEO of BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd., said, “As the iconic program of BMW strategic corporate social responsibility, BMW China Culture Journey aims to create ‘shared value’ by means of the ‘enabling’ model, and to ‘build bridges’ that concentrate various social resources and stakeholders. In 2018, BMW China Culture Journey explored the transformation of social achievements by integrating intangible cultural heritage with innovative plans and ideas. Besides, the program implemented the national policy of ‘cultural poverty alleviation’ with practical action, which is perfectly reflected and advocated by BMW strategic corporate social responsibility.”

BMW China Culture Journey has consistently supported the inheritance and safeguarding of Chinese traditional culture for 12 years. To help integrate intangible cultural heritage into modern life, BMW China Culture Journey continues to explore innovative models of intangible cultural heritage safeguarding, with this being achieved through two ways: innovative methods to promote the use and consumption of intangible cultural heritage works and innovative communication to promote intangible cultural heritage safeguarding.

Innovative Methods to Promote the Use and Consumption of Intangible Cultural Heritage Works

BMW China Culture Journey, in collaboration with the social enterprise SHOKAY and Tibetan cooperatives, launched the “Yushu Impression” Series of Products on November 30 this year. The “Yushu Impression” Series of Products consists of more than 40 items, including fashionable household goods and spring garments for 2019 seasons, including machine spinning fire blankets, scarves, key chains, clothing, and hand-woven felt hats. The products feature the use of yak velvet, a material widely used across Tibetan areas, and feature the intangible cultural heritage hand-woven skills associated with Yushu.

The “Yushu Impression” Series of Products are available on BMW’s aftersales platforms on JD.com and Tmall until February 28th, 2019. BMW will receive no proceeds from these sales, while SHOKAY has pledged to return a portion of profits to the local Tibetan Cooperatives through training in practical skills, as well as purchase an annual order of Yak down from, to help reduce local dependence on caterpillar fungus. These endeavours will help lift the local people to lift themselves out of poverty sustainably and for the long-term.

In addition, from November 29th to December 1st, BMW China Culture Journey partners with the SDX Joint Publishing Company to open the Intangible Cultural Heritage Pop-up Showroom in the heart of Beijing’s urban fashion district, Sanlitun. Here the creative artworks of inheritors from Qinghai Yushu, Sichuan Ta-liangshan and Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County, Hunan Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture will be displayed to the public. The showroom will demonstrate the creativity and potentials of bringing intangible cultural heritage into modern life, while also raising awareness of intangible cultural heritage safeguarding among young urban dwellers. All displayed works will be available for purchase by the public through inheritor e-commerce platforms during their visits.

The 2018 BMW China Culture Journey Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition will be open to the public free of charge from November 30th to December 1st at Exhibition Hall A at the Academy of Arts of Tsinghua University. As the finale of this year’s BMW China Culture Journey series of events, the Exhibition invites over 50 inheritors from regions across China, including the Sichuan Ta-lianshan and Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County, Shaanxi Ningqiang County, and other undeveloped areas. The Exhibition aims to showcase the lifestyle and the beauty of intangible cultural heritage, in the way of interactive experience and a range of other exciting formats which will appeal and engage with younger people.

Innovative Communication to Promote Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding

Following the consecutive successful launch of BMW China Culture Journey Tour Guide in Sichuan and Hunan, BMW China Culture Journey also release its Tour Guide in Yushu this year. The latest and well-illustrated tour guide is officially online for public on November 30th, which aims to lead travelers into the remote and rural landscapes of Yushu, highlighting unique plateau features, various items of intangible cultural heritage and material cultural heritage as well as features of the natural landscape. The BMW China Culture Journey Tour Guide in Yushu is committed to promoting the local tourism industry, as well as to explore innovative models of cultural poverty alleviation.

The BMW China Culture Journey Intangible Cultural Heritage Series Tour Guides will be upgraded this year, creating the automotive industry’s first intangible cultural heritage themed self-driving tour community on Mafengwo. The public will be able to browse or download BMW China Culture Journey Intangible Cultural Heritage Series Tour Guides from the Mafengwo website to experience the charm of intangible cultural heritage personally.