15 Sep 2026
New students at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University’s Academy of Film and Creative Technology (AFCT) began the 2026–27 Academic Year by exploring the spaces, meeting the people and trying out the technologies that will shape their studies.
Through the AFCT open day, campus tour, programme inductions, and staff–student welcome meetings, students explored the Academy’s facilities, met their teaching teams, and learnt about the support available to them.
From stepping into a studio for the first time to discussing their interests with future lecturers and classmates, they began to discover how creativity, technology and practice come together at AFCT.
Creative technology in action
On 5 to 6 September, XJTLU’s campus orientation tour attracted more than 4,500 new students. Taking part for the first time, the Academy of Film and Creative Technology (AFCT) held an Open Day in the AS Building on the University’s SIP campus. Through a range of interactive activities, including open studios, hands-on technology experiences and displays of student work, the Academy introduced visitors to its teaching facilities, programmes and creative practice. Students participated enthusiastically throughout the two days, with many also speaking to staff to learn more about the Academy and its programmes.
Visitors tried presenting the news in a TV studio, explored virtual production and real-time green-screen compositing, and viewed 3D projection mapping projects. Across these spaces, they discovered how the technologies they will encounter in their studies are used in creative production.
Motion capture proved particularly popular. Alongside watching demonstrations, students put on motion-capture suits themselves to see how their movements can be recorded and translated into digital character animation.
The cinema on the building’s second floor screened a rolling selection of outstanding student work from across the Academy’s programmes, offering newcomers a glimpse of what they might create during their studies. Photo opportunities, a stamp-collecting activity and a wish wall added a more informal way to explore the building and meet others.
By moving from watching demonstrations to trying the technologies themselves, students gained a more tangible sense of what studying at AFCT could involve.
Welcome to the CCI Programme
On 4 September, the MSc Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) programme held its induction for the 2026–27 Academic Year at the XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang) campus.
Professor Qian Liu, Dean of AFCT, opened the event with a welcome address and an introduction to the Academy. Programme Director Dr Yiqing Yang then introduced CCI, followed by an opportunity for students to meet the teaching team.
Development Advisor Qianqian Jiang outlined the available student support services, while second-year students Zhifei Ren and Mariia Prokhorova shared their experiences with the programme.
A question-and-answer session gave newcomers the opportunity to ask about their studies and student life.
The event concluded with a tour of the G Building led by the technical team, introducing students to the teaching and creative facilities they will use.
Connecting the ATE study with the industry
Students joining the Arts, Technology and Entertainment with Contemporary Entrepreneurialism (ATE) programme attended a staff–student welcome meeting at the XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang) campus on 7 September.
Following a welcome address by Professor Liu, the session introduced the Academy team, the ATE programme, industry partnerships and student support.
ATE Programme Director Zhonghao Chen outlined the programme’s areas of study and teaching arrangements. Qin Qian, Business Development Manager at XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang), discussed industry collaboration, while Development Advisor Xujie Zhong introduced student support services. A closing question-and-answer session offered further opportunities for discussion with staff.
Together, the introductions to the curriculum and industry collaboration helped students understand their learning opportunities and how their studies connect with professional practice.
Meeting the teams behind DMA and FLM
On 11 September, AFCT welcomed new Digital Media Arts (DMA) and Filmmaking (FLM) students to a staff–student event in the AS Building at the SIP campus.
Professor Liu welcomed students and introduced the Academy team. DMA Programme Director Yijun Guo and Filmmaking Programme Director Cheng Fang then presented their respective programmes, outlining course content, areas of study and opportunities for creative practice, before answering students’ questions.
“The Academy will help you discover what you are truly capable of,” Professor Liu told the new students.
He encouraged them to challenge themselves creatively, approach the role of artificial intelligence in creative work with an open mind, and explore how they could work with new technologies. He also urged students to learn about their lecturers’ research and creative practice, and to seek out projects and opportunities for discussion that align with their interests.
Explore creativity and technology
From their first hands-on experiences during the open day to more detailed conversations at programme inductions, the welcome activities offered students different ways to get to know the environment in which they will learn, create and develop.
AFCT brings digital technology, creative content production and industry practice together in an interdisciplinary learning environment. Through coursework, technical practice, studio projects, and industry collaboration, students are encouraged to turn ideas into finished work and explore the possibilities opened by emerging technologies.
For the Academy’s newest students, that process is just beginning. A first studio experience, an unfamiliar technology, or an idea still taking shape could become the starting point for their next creative project.
By Wenzhen Li
Photos courtesy of Yuqi Liu, Yu Lu, Wenzhen Li
15 Sep 2026