History

The Four Stages of the Academy Development

The first stage (1956-1976) is characterized by the improvement in the teaching system and its notable achievements.

From 1956 to 1966, the teaching system of the Central Academy of Arts & Design was in the state of continuous improvement. We developed a training mechanism with mainly undergraduate programs and postgraduate supplemental programs, thus laying the foundation of the teaching system for design in China. At the same time, the Academy made great contributions to the design of  major Chinese construction projects. Teachers and students from the Academy were the main force for the architectural ornament and interior design of the ten-major engineering projects – including the Great Hall of the People – all completed within a year in celebration of the National Day in 1959.

The ten years from 1966 to 1976 is a period of chaos when the “cultural revolution” brought all teaching and creative activities in the Academy to a halt. Still, the Academy played an essential role in the design of important projects such as the New Building of Beijing Hotel and Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao, constructed between 1974 and 1976.

Second stage (1977-1988): After China adopted the Reform and Opening-up Policy at the end of 1978, higher education institutions across China resumed their normal yearly recruitment, and the Academy entered a new era of development.
Starting from 1978, teaching at the Academy returned to normal. The number of students admitted into the Academy increased considerably and efforts were made to offer better programs. Postgraduate programs were integrated in addition of the undergraduate programs, and specialized fields of study were increased from three in the Academy’s early period to six. 

In 1979, a team of artists and designers composed mainly of CAAD teachers and students headed by Zhang Ding, the Academy’s dean, undertook the fresco project of the Capital Airport lounge in Beijing. This is the first time since the founding of the People’s Republic of China that an immense fresco was created and constructed, causing quite a stir in the fine arts circle in China. The fresco in the Capital Airport lounge is not only a milestone in the development of contemporary Chinese fresco, but heralded a new thriving period of contemporary Chinese art. 

Teaching, researches and creative activities at the Academy kept improving in the 1980s. In this period, the Academy established a complete system of undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Meanwhile, it began to offer research-based PhD programs in design. Regarding teaching, the Academy emphasized the combination of theory and practice, inheriting and innovating, teaching and production. It emphasized the studies and researches of national art and folk art and all types of design approaches at home and abroad. It also paid much attention to studying the relationship between theory and practice, art and science, creation and life, and design, technology and materials. 

In April 1982, at a national conference to review the country’s colleges and universities’ design discipline curriculum under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture, the participants agreed that the Central Academy of Arts & Design discipline design curricula would be used by all other colleges and universities in their design programs. This was an indication of CAAD’s core role in the education of design in China.

The Third stage (1989-1999) saw further improvement in the education system of art and design, featuring experiments and practice at its core.

In the 1990s, in line with the era’s trend of national development, the Academy put in place a system of design education with strong Chinese characteristics, forming a complete range of programs for undergraduate students, postgraduate students, doctoral students and offered training to people who are interested in design without giving them a college degree. The Academy established design institutions with state-approved certification. Staff and students enthusiastically participated in the design practices, which greatly benefited teaching and studying, and laid the foundation for the further development of design education in China in the 21st century. The Academy’s representative design works during this period include interior design of the China World Trade Center, logo design symbolizing the return of Hong Kong to China, the design of the flag and emblem of Macao Special Administrative Region, logo design for the Bank of China, logo design for the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and the design of “The Blooming Bauhinia”, a large sculpture given as a gift to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region by the Central Government. 

Fourth stage (1999-now): The Academy repositioned itself by shifting its focus to research and the training of high-caliber designers with all-rounded qualities.

In November 1999 the Central Academy of Arts & Design merged with Tsinghua University and changed its name to the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University. Relying on Tsinghua University’s highly-developed teaching resources and total strength, as well as the Academy’s own complete system of design teaching, the Academy adopted a “comprehensive, research-based and openness” mode of teaching, setting its goal on cultivating “high-caliber and high-level designers with creativity and diversified styles.” By then, it developed a more complete education system for the undergraduate and postgraduate programs. 

In 2001, the Academy held the “International Exhibition of Art and Science” at the National Art Museum of China. Based on an international seminar featuring theoretical study of the same theme, the Arts and Science Research Center of Tsinghua University was founded. This institute was devoted to conducting research. From then on, the Academy shifted its focus from teaching to teaching-research. Due to restructuring, the Academy now has six institutes of theoretical research and 17 institutes of art practices. The process of the research and the results of the research will in turn promote the Academy’s Teaching.

By July 2010 the Academy’s programs covers 25 special areas of study under Art and Design. It has made notable progress in offering better programs and making academic achievements. It took first place in a national performance appraisal involving over 1,000 design colleges in China. Teachers and students from the Academy have won many awards in important exhibitions and design contests at home and abroad. They also played very important roles in the design of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the design of the ceremony in 60th anniversary celebration of the People’s Republic of China.