HSS fuses arts and leadership in dual event fostering student creativity and holistic personal development

The HSS Visual Arts Festival 2025 and a new School-level initiative – the HSS Leadership Scheme – share a common goal: fostering student creativity and holistic personal development.

人文社科学院同时举办HSS视觉艺术节2025与全新推出的领导力计划活动，旨在激发学生的创造力并促进其全面发展。视觉艺术节展示了学生在摄影、平面设计和人工智能生成内容（AIGC）等领域的才华，而领导力计划则专注于培养学生的组织能力、团队协作精神和社会责任感。两者相辅相成，共同为学生提供一个融合艺术与领导力的平台，助力他们在未来的学术与职业道路上取得成功。

The HSS Visual Arts Festival 2025 showcases the diverse range of student creativity, as seen in this exhibition display.

The Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) Building at XJTLU was abuzz on May 14 as students and faculty gathered for a dual celebration: the HSS Visual Arts Festival and the official launch of the HSS Leadership Scheme. The combined event showcased HSS’s commitment to holistic education – nurturing both artistic expression and practical leadership skills as essential components of students' personal growth beyond traditional academic assessment.

A key highlight of the event included the awards ceremony recognising exceptional talent across various categories. Yifan Jiang secured Best Photo, Xinyan Zheng won Best Graphic Design, while Zixuan Zou was awarded both Best AIGC and Best Visual Presentation. Kejia Liang received the Outstanding Volunteer Award.

Professor Xiaoling Zhang presenting certificates to students for their award-winning works.

Speaking at the event, Professor Beibei Tang, Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, emphasised that student participation and their future held paramount importance, irrespective of competition outcomes. “Through this event, we are not just connecting the present and the future, but I think that we are also connecting the West and the East," Professor Tang said.

The Festival, themed “Visualising Suzhou: Past, Present, and Future,” marked its fourth year with a significant innovation – the introduction of a non-competition section.

This year, the festival introduced new features, including a new AIGC (Image) category within the competition and a Non-Competition Section showcasing outstanding photography and graphic design from specific module assessments (COM269, COM338, COM415).

To enhance impact and relevance, the festival hosted several successful joint events with other departments. These collaborations included a guest talk by filmmaker and alumnus Jiang Hao on “Stories Are Built, Not Told: Writing Across Mediums” (in collaboration with HSS Career Talk) and an Art Healing Workshop facilitated by Nelly Mao (in collaboration with the Student Affairs Office), both held on May 7, 2025. Visual block submissions from University of Liverpool (UoL) students, created during their one-week stay in Suzhou and Shanghai, were also displayed.

Professor Xiaoling Zhang, Head of the DMC, presented the awards. She commended Assistant Professor Emma Nan Hu, the Festival Coordinator, for bringing the event to life and thanked the team, colleagues, judges, and volunteers, as well as the behind-the-scenes contributors. She expressed pride in the students' work and invited attendees to enjoy the exhibition.

Professor Beibei Tang, Ms Emma Nan Hu, Dr. Tingting Hu, and Professor Xiaoling Zhang, speaking at the event.

Visual Arts Festival: Unleashing personal creativity
“In the past few years, we’ve been slowly building up a new legacy for the HSS as the Visual Arts Festival,” explained Ms Hu. “This year represents a bold step forward as we've expanded beyond traditional competition to showcase excellent student work from submitted coursework.”

The exhibition, which remains open until 28 May, features diverse visual perspectives on Suzhou – from traditional gardens to modern skyscrapers like the Suzhou Centre and Jin Ji Lake.

Dr Yanning Huang, who contributed student work from the COM269 Photojournalism module, emphasised the practical value of the exhibition. “Street photography demands capturing decisive moments. In these images, you can see the unique perspectives our students bring to everyday scenes around Suzhou,” he noted while gesturing toward a series of black-and-white street photographs. “Having this public platform motivates students far beyond what grades alone can achieve.”

For Jiang Yifan, a two-time winner of the Best Photo award, the festival represents an opportunity to share personal artistic vision. “Photography is my passion, and the Visual Arts Festival provides a platform to share my inspirations and the beauty I perceive,” Jiang remarked. “I hope viewers find tranquility in my work – a moment of peace amid the rapid development surrounding us.”

Zheng Xinyan, recipient of the Golden Award for Best Graphic Design, shared her excitement about her first participation. “When I received the email, I was thrilled and somewhat in disbelief since this was my first time participating in such an event,” Zheng said. Her winning design connected traditional Suzhou pastries with international exchange, representing her vision of Suzhou as a city embracing both tradition and modernity. “Suzhou has traditional depth while showcasing international flair – this is what I wanted to capture in my work,” she added.

Ms Hu emphasized that the festival aims to encourage students to think beyond immediate academic requirements. “We don't want students solely focused on grades and assessments. This world is much larger than scores and future salaries,” she explained. “Through artistic expression, students develop something uniquely personal that nobody can take away or judge by conventional standards. It's about finding your voice through creative expression.”

Organizers said they are looking forward to next year's event.

Some more glimpses from the exhibition; students appreciating award-winning works.

Leadership Scheme: Unlock your potential
Professor Tang described the leadership scheme as “a new School-level activity to engage students” through non-curricular means. She emphasized that students would gain invaluable experience through participation, preparing them for both the job market and continued academic pursuits.

The newly launched HSS Leadership Scheme offers students a self-directed pathway to engage with the school’s diverse activities, develop practical skills, and cultivate interdisciplinary knowledge and awareness. By participating in these interdisciplinary activities, students can accumulate points to earn an official HSS certificate that recognizes their active engagement. Throughout this process, they gain valuable practical experience while enhancing their leadership and professional competencies. Dr Tingting Hu, HSS Student Development Officer and coordinator of the Leadership Scheme, explained that the initiative was developed in response to observed challenges in student engagement.

“Our school already offers numerous high-quality events, but student participation remains lower than expected,” Dr Tingting Hu noted. “Through this scheme, we're not creating more activities but helping students navigate existing opportunities more effectively while providing tangible recognition for their engagement.”

The programme introduces a points-based system where students earn credits by participating in various HSS activities. Undergraduate students need 20 points to complete the scheme, while 2+2 students need 8 points, and postgraduate students require 10 points. Recognized activities include internships, volunteer work, conferences, and competitions like the Visual Arts Festival, among others.
Upon completion, students receive an official certificate and personalised recommendation letter (by request), valuable additions to their CVs and postgraduate applications. The programme will utilise a dedicated WeChat group and the Learning Mall platform to distribute information about upcoming opportunities.

“We're helping students filter through overwhelming information to focus on meaningful engagement,” Dr Tingting Hu explained. “More importantly, we're hoping them to become self-leaders first – managing their priorities independently before attempting to lead others.”

The integrated celebration of artistic expression and leadership development signals HSS's commitment to nurturing well-rounded graduates prepared not only academically but also with the practical skills and networks needed for future success. Jiangyue Xi, who serves as an assistant on this project, expressed enthusiasm for this project. She expressed the hope that the project design can increase students' participation in activities and connect classmates.

Students interested in joining the HSS Leadership Scheme can scan the QR code on relevant promotional materials or contact the Student Development Office for registration details. The programme officially begins next semester, with points retroactively awarded for participation in the next Visual Arts Festival.

Story by YUTONG WU and photos by Tianxiang Zhang/DMC Newsletter.
Courtesy of the scholastic journalism team, Department of Media and Communication, XJTLU.