Prof. Dr. H. C. Shan Fan, a renowned contemporary German-Chinese artist, a member of the Free Art Institute of Hamburg, a recipient of the German Government Order of Arts and Academics, an honorary doctorate from the University of New Buckingham, UK, a professor of intercultural art, and rector of the University of Applied Sciences of Design and Communication in Hamburg, Germany.
Q: This year, Zhejiang Wanli College cooperates with Hamburg University of Applied Sciences in Design and Communication in Germany to offer 2+2 Sino-German dual degree programs in Visual Communication Design, Advertising and Exhibition Economics and Management. What are the most outstanding features of these majors?
Shan: In my opinion, the salient features are the following three:
First, our program is practice-oriented. Undoubtedly, the teaching concept is the theory from the practice. Many theories are already being practiced in the industry before they are available, and our teachers are mostly experts in the industry, which is a great advantage for us;
Second, the international orientation of the school. The cooperation between Hamburg University of Applied Sciences in Design and Communication and Zhejiang Wanli College is profound, from the teaching concept and educational program to the curriculum management and faculty allocation, etc. Such an international orientation requires a lot of human and material investment;
Thirdly, the educational concept of respecting the development of individuality. The mission of the school is to discover the strengths of each student, refine them and develop them to become an international professional with specialties in the future, which is one of our teaching strengths.
Q: Personally, you are also a beneficiary of international studies. How important is a multicultural background to the talent needed in modern society?
Shan: I think it's very important that the social environment today requires us to study fashion and cultural differences. Design and culture are inseparable, and advertising and exhibitions are even more so. Take humor for example, Chinese humor, German humor and British humor are all different, and the nationals of each country have different understanding of humor. As a designer or creative, if you don't understand the humor of these three countries, you can't grasp it delicately in terms of expression. An international learning process enables students to experience the delicate cultural variations of different countries in all aspects.
Q: What kind of talents do you think China's creative culture industry needs?
Shan: I think that in the first 30 years of China's economic development, all companies have been able to manufacture products and technologies, but they are not producing brands yet. In the future, if you want to go to the next level, you have to transform from manufacturing to branding, so that China's economy is a branding economy and can become a branding power.
This transformation requires a lot of talents in this area, and there is a complete shortage of them. According to my understanding, there are gradually classes on brand management and brand design in various universities, but there are still very few of them focusing on training talents in this area. I have talked with many university professors, and I already feel that there are hints of these, but those who are doing well or are doing well are not in the universities, but in the industry.
Q: Is there anything you would like to say to the students of the Sino-German School of Design and Communication?
Shan: I want students to learn with the most positive attitude, to discover their own personality and develop it.
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