Cultural Conservation Propelling Sustainability and Innovative Exhibition Promoting Circularity
BMW China Culture Journey Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Innovation Deliverables Exhibition Opens in Beijing

• The BMW Group has always placed sustainability at its core and is committed to Electric, Digital and Circular Future.
• The “BMW China Culture Journey” Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Innovation Deliverables Exhibition officially opens at the China Science and Technology Museum, celebrating the 20th anniversary of UNESCO’s “Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage” with practical actions together with the China Science and Technology Museum as well as Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts and Design.
• No premium without responsibility. At BMW, sustainability is more than being green—it is about people and society. The BMW Group’s comprehensive sustainability concept is culture-driven sustainable development.

(Beijing, February 24th) The BMW China Culture Journey Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Innovation Deliverables Exhibition opens today at the China Science and Technology Museum. Held in collaboration with the China Science and Technology Museum, BMW China Automotive Trading Ltd., and Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts and Design, the exhibition is open to the public at the China Science and Technology Museum from February 24, 2023. The BMW Group has always placed sustainability at its core and is committed to the electric, digital and circular future. It believes that sustainability is more than just being green—it is about people and society. The “BMW China Culture Journey” Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Innovation Deliverables Exhibition celebrates the 20th anniversary of UNESCO’s “Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage” with practical actions.

Dr. Franz Decker, President & CEO, BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd., said: “The BMW Group has always placed sustainability at its core and is committed to the electric, digital and circular future. We are convinced that there is no premium without responsibility. ‘Premium’ brands must be responsible to the economy, society and environment with a sustainable vision. Sustainability is more than being green—it is about people and society. This exhibition demonstrates BMW’s continuous efforts in protecting intangible cultural heritage for 17 years. With our partners we promote sustainable development through culture, perfectly interpreting the BMW Group’s comprehensive sustainability philosophy.”

BMW believes sustainability is more than being green—it is about people and society

According to the UNESCO, the Social Development Goals (SDGs) are grouped around the economic, social, and environmental objectives as the three pillars of sustainable development, with culture and creativity contributing to each of these pillars transversally. Placing culture at the heart of development policies is the only way to ensure a human-centered, inclusive and equitable development.

BMW’s sustainability is not only reflected in its core business as well as its commitment to the electric, digital and circular future, but also in its highly coordinated and sustainable development with regard to people, society, and the environment. When “BMW China Culture Journey” was launched in 2007, the aim was to help protect and promote traditional Chinese culture. Over 17 years, BMW China Culture Journey has donated more than 25 million yuan to 90 intangible cultural heritage projects and research subjects in urgent need of protection, funded nearly 1,000 inheritors, and influenced nearly 160 million people to protect and inherit intangible cultural heritage.

Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director of the UNESCO Office in Beijing, said: “As we continue to celebrate the power of intangible cultural heritage, we must remember that it is not just a source of pride and inspiration, but also a powerful tool for achieving sustainable development and promoting social cohesion. The recognition of the universal value of intangible heritage is one of the powerful tools we have to build a better world based on dialogue, respect, and human dignity. The year 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of the adoption of UNESCO's Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. We welcome and encourage all partners to join us in celebrating this important year and contributing to the safeguarding of ICH. This ICH exhibition is an excellent example set by BMW China, China Science and Technology Museum and Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts and Design.”

“Scented Intangible Cultural Heritage” echoing the modern circular economy concept as well as the traditional Chinese philosophy of “the unity of man and nature in respect of nature” and “the harmonious coexistence between man and nature”

Chinese civilization has always advocated the unity of man and nature in respect of nature, and the harmonious coexistence between man and nature. In this exhibition, BMW's “circular” sustainability is also implemented throughout with the concept of reuse being integrated into the exhibition design from the very beginning. 30% of the exhibition materials are made of recyclable paper materials and, together with other exhibits, 75% of the exhibition materials are recyclable.

China’s longstanding intangible cultural heritage skills use locally sourced materials, shows respect for nature, and makes the best use of everything in an embodiment of the philosophy of “harmony between man and nature in respect of nature” as well as the modern “cradle to cradle” circular economy concept, realizing a dialogue between ancient and modern times across time and space.

The “Enjoying Nature” series of Bai tie dye works co-created by Li Wei, professor of Academy of Arts and Design, Tsinghua University, and Duan Yuan, representative municipal intangible cultural heritage inheritor of the Bai tie dye project, captures the integration of handmade craftsmanship and nature through tie-dyeing and hanging-dyeing techniques using natural materials such as radix isatidis and plant bluegrass as dyes, and soybean powder and lime powder as dyeing paste. In addition, this series of works draws on the artistic conception of traditional Chinese landscape painting, creating a static expression of Chinese landscapes through the natural gradience and changing layers of the materials.

This exhibition will, for the first time, be bringing “Scented Intangible Cultural Heritage” into the shrine of science and technology. Creatively inspired by Hainan's intangible cultural heritage works and the local cultural and natural environments, faculty and students of Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts and Design incorporated the scents of sea breeze, coconut and indigo dye into intangible cultural heritage creations through olfactory design installations, creating a rich, immersive experience that stimulates exhibition visitors’ senses of sight, smell and touch. Visitors are able to vividly imagine themselves standing right in middle of the ecological environment where intangible cultural heritage craftsmanship was first conceived to fully appreciate the harmonious beauty of “harmony between man and nature in respect of nature”.

The integration of culture, art and science provides creativity for sustainable development

According to the UNESCO, Cultural heritage — both tangible and intangible — and creativity are resources that need to be protected and carefully managed. They can serve both as drivers for achieving the SDGs as well as enablers, when culture-forward solutions can ensure the success of interventions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Culture, art and science complement each other as a trinity. In this exhibition, the “Integration of Culture, Art and Science” innovative development forum gathers many famous experts and scholars from relevant fields to discuss how cultural heritage and creativity can contribute to sustainable development with inheritors. Through interdisciplinary collisions, the forum breaks through the boundaries of intangible cultural heritage protection, creating more possibilities for the inheritance and development of traditional culture to explore and protect intangible cultural heritage through innovation.

Mr. Yin Hao, Member of the Party Committee of the China Association for Science and Technology, Secretary of the Secretariat, Curator of the China Science and Technology Museum, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, said: “The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out that Chinese modernization is the modernization of harmony between man and nature and of peaceful development. We should carry forward the splendid traditional Chinese culture and meet people’s ever-growing intellectual and cultural needs. The China Science and Technology Museum is an important platform for China’s public cultural service system, which has the important mission of improving citizens' scientific and cultural literacy. This exhibition creatively integrates art, culture and science to provide new ideas for the popularization of traditional culture. It also sets a practical example for better implementing strategies for invigorating China through science and education, cultivating a strong talent pool, and driving innovation and development.”

Mr. Ma Sai, Dean of Academy of Arts and Design, Tsinghua University, said: “Excellent traditional culture needs to be innovated in inheritance and inherited in innovation. Over the years, we have continued to deepen our collaboration with BMW to explore intangible cultural heritage’s innovative path and model. In the future, we will continue to leverage our strengths to introduce more artistic and scientific elements into cultural inheritance and protection to further promote the sustainable and healthy development of culture."

The BMW 7 Series Halo Edition, co-created by BMW and Tsinghua University's Academy of Arts and Design, perfectly embodies the fusion of "art and science" and "Eastern and Western aesthetics". The design principle of the car is "beyond the visible, beauty beyond form" with "harmony" as its core value. Its inspiration comes from traditional Chinese aesthetics, using “mountains, waters, and clouds” as design elements to create the landscape that the Chinese people have always loved, fully displaying the Oriental aesthetic values of "harmony and elegance". The combination of Chinese cultural symbolic elements including the dragon jade pattern, craig blue glaze porcelain, white jade, and acronychia pedunculata, combined with traditional craftsmanship skills such as embroidery, Chinese lacquer and mother-of-pearl inlay, shows BMW’s deep understanding of Chinese culture. It also provides a reference for the “integration of intangible cultural heritage into modern life”. Showcasing the success of both Oriental and Western cultures in sharing and celebrating each other’s beauty, it has become a classic example of the “creative transformation and innovative development of the splendid traditional Chinese culture”.

In 2016, BMW co-founded the Tsinghua BMW Innovation Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding with Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts and Design. Through innovative thinking, BMW enables cultural heritage inheritors to design and develop cultural creations. Over the past six years, 6 social innovation deliverables exhibitions and more than 20 seminars have been organized together with Tsinghua University's Academy of Arts and Design, benefiting nearly 500 intangible cultural heritage inheritors from all over the country. At the innovation center, inheritors from Sichuan, Hunan, Qinghai Yushu, Hainan, Liaoning, Hubei, and Yunnan, receive tailored training and "one-on-one" innovation empowerment.

Adhering to the philosophy of "At Home in China", BMW Group continues to create value for Chinese customers, local society and industry for mutual growth. Paying close attention to agendas of the government and society, and based on its understanding and insights into the issues, BMW China Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) focuses on “Culture Protection”, "Environmental Protection" and other strategic Chinese society issues. Through innovative thinkings and actions, BMW engages a wide range of stakeholders to contribute to Chinese society’s high-quality development in line with its “At Home in China” philosophy through flagship projects such as “BMW China Culture Journey”, “BMW Beautiful Homeland Initiative”, etc.